Paducah in McCracken County, Kentucky — The American South (East South Central)

The Hotel Metropolitan

Photographed by Jason Voigt, June 15, 2026

1. The Hotel Metropolitan Marker

Inscription.
This hotel and the nearby Purple Room were popular stops for leading African American performers and musicians touring the South during the mid-20th cen. on what was called the "Chitlin' Circuit." Other notable guests included civil rights leaders, the Harlem Globetrotters, & Negro League baseball players. Added to the National Register in 2002.

Erected 2024 by Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky Department of Highways. (Marker Number 2663.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Entertainment • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Kentucky Historical Society, and the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series lists. A significant historical year for this entry is 2002.

Location. 37° 4.766′ N, 88° 35.947′ W. Marker is in Paducah, Kentucky, in McCracken County. It is on Oscar Cross Avenue east of South 8th Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 724 Oscar Cross Ave, Paducah KY 42003, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in

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Kentucky’s Jackson Purchase.

It is also in the American Midwest,

in the South,

in the Upper South,

and in the Ohio River Valley.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture

and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 8th of August (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Burks Chapel A.M.E. Church (about 500 feet away); Col. Ed Murray's Home (about 800 feet away); Congressmen Representing First District Which Included Jackson Purchase, 1819-1995 (approx. ¼ mile away); McCracken County Courthouse (approx. ¼ mile away); Global War on Terrorism Memorial (approx. ¼ mile away); "Old Judge Priest" (approx. ¼ mile away); Spanish American War Monument (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Paducah.

More about this marker. Marker text repeats on both sides.

Regarding The Hotel Metropolitan. National Register Statement of Significance excerpt:

The Hotel Metropolitan

Photographed by Jason Voigt, June 15, 2026

2. The Hotel Metropolitan Marker

(MC-NP-751) meets National Register Criterion A and is historically significant within the context of "Building an African-American Community on the South Side of Paducah, KY, 1865-1950." This hotel was built in the heart of an African-American neighborhood that began developing immediately after the Civil War. Constructed for a young African-American woman in 1909, it served as the first hotel operated by and for African-American people in Paducah, Kentucky. Its success signals the beginning of greater migration among Blacks both within and through the area to greater employment opportunities, oftentimes, in more northern states. The forced racial segregation in the hotel business means that the Hotel Metropolitan provided a vital service for Blacks traveling through Paducah, while evidencing the accomplishments of the African-American community within that town.

Also see . . . Hotel Metropolitan Museum on Wikipedia. The hotel was built in 1908 and first operated by Maggie Steed, on what was then Jackson Street. It would close in 1996 and restoration began in 1999. Among the many famous people that stayed here include

The Hotel Metropolitan image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jason Voigt, June 15, 2026

3. The Hotel Metropolitan

It is now an African American Museum.

entertainers Ray Charles, Ike & Tina Turner, B.B. King, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. Baseball players such as Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson also stayed overnight there. Thurgood Marshall was one of the Civil Rights leaders who was also a guest at the hotel (before he became a U.S. Supreme Court justice). (Submitted on June 16, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.)

Additional keywords. segregation, Negro Motorist Green Book

Credits. This page was last revised on June 17, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 16, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois. This page has been viewed 12 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 16, 2026, by Jason Voigt of Glen Carbon, Illinois.