B010 Mercedes Hotel Construction Completed and Opened to Public in 1906 1907
This is an early view of Mercedes Hotel with well dressed people relaxing in front. The streets surrounding the hotel are still unpaved. Mercedes Hotel was one of the first buildings constructed in the new town. Its construction started in 1905. Before the hotel was built, no housing was available, so the engineers, railroad men and others who came to the new town had to live in boxcars or tents. The front of the hotel faced Texas Avenue and the back faced Missouri Avenue, between 2nd Street (Business Highway 83) and 3rd Street. [27]
In his book, Mercedes author and historian G.G. Garcia wrote: 'Across the street from the Mercedes City Park was the old hotel...where the bank Mercedes Bank now does business, a painting in the lobby the sole reminder [of the hotel] ... My grandfather, Lorenzo Gutierrez worked in the landmark hotel'. [92]
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B009 Gulf Coast Magazine in 1906 Featured the Mercedes Hotel 1907
An article written in 1906 described the newly constructed Mercedes Hotel 'Over there, a short hundred yards south of the railroad, is a modern, cosmopolitan hotel, built of brick and finished in stucco, in the quaint, fascinating style of the old missions. This hostelry, electric lighted and equipped with every modern convenience, will be equal to any in Texas. It is now open to the public. Just west of the hotel is the imposing residence of Mr. S. P. Silver, the general manager of the company.' [22]
The hotel had a few Mission Style features, such as the stucco exterior and the soft arches over each window. However, it was overall more like a Southern antebellum home with its Greek Revival columns, a wraparound porch, evenly spaced large windows, and large central entrances at the front and back. [52]
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R002 Mercedes Hotel Was Located At Texas Avenue and 2nd Street 1907
For many years, the local newspaper published reports of receptions, social events, and business meetings held at the hotel. In addition, the newspaper featured a weekly list of the guests staying at the hotel.
For example, on April 29, 1915 the Mercedes Tribune reported 'Thursday afternoon Quentin Lacy entertained a few of his girl and boy friends from 4:30 to 6:00 at the hotel. Thursday evening Miss Nell Lacy delightfully entertained her girl friends at 8 this evening at her home, the Mercedes Hotel.'
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E019 View of Mercedes Hotel from a Distance 1909
This postcard shows a wide view of the Mercedes Hotel that reveal details not apparent in other photographs. There are stone arches above the windows on the first floor, and there is a stone foundation and possibly a basement. There are at least eight chimneys, indicating that each hotel suite probably had its own fireplace. Fireplaces would have been the primary source of heat, as gas and electric heat were not available when the hotel was built.
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R046 Mercedes Hotel, Mercedes, Texas 1907
This postcard shows Mercedes Hotel from the corner of 2nd Street and Texas Avenue. The large wrap around porches helped keep the rooms cool in the summer heat. The hotel also had nine chimneys for the large fireplaces which supplied heat in the winter. Later renovations to the hotel in the 40s added gas heat, but the hotel was never air conditioned. Local newspaper ads for the hotel showed that rooms were rented by the day or week. Also, the ads say the hotel restaurant served meals were served to hotel guests and the general public.
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N001 Mercedes Hotel Was Vital to Mercedes Business and Social Life 1916
Mercedes Hotel opened in 1906 and was one of the first buildings constructed in the new town. For several decades it was the center of Mercedes business and social life. The hotel changed ownership several times during its 45 year history before being demolished in the early 1950s, a victim of consumer preference for motels with modern amenities such as parking and kitchenettes.
This early view shows women strolling the hotel grounds in elegant 1920s fashions. The image was produced using the Colortone printing technique which colorizes black-and-white photographs. The women appear to have been superimposed onto the original photograph.
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N002 Mercedes Hotel Postcard Was Produced with Colortone Technology 1916
This photograph depicts two men strolling Mercedes Hotel's lushly landscaped grounds. The landscaping featured plants that required little water - a large mesquite tree, a small palm, and pampas grass. The color card was produced using Colortone techniques from black and white photographs. The hotel was the city’s showcase venue for business meetings and social events for several decades.
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V002 Mercedes Hotel Opened in 1906, Demolished in early 1950s 1930
The Mercedes Hotel was once a showcase for the city, but consumer preference for automobile travel and motor hotels led to its decline. Its final owner was the Hotel Supply Company, which ordered its closing in late 1951. In February 1952, the hotel and its furnishings were sold to separate buyers. L.S. Blunt of Mercedes bought the land for $39,000, J.F. Riley of Mercedes bought the building for $1,000, and various buyers purchased the furnishings for a total of $1,447. Blunt announced that he planned to sell the land to an oil company for a gas station. [32]
The hotel was demolished shortly thereafter. The Bazaar Gas Station occupied the western portion of the hotel's former site for many years. Today, a bank and parking lot stand on the site of this once-grand hotel.
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