Under a list of Boarding houses for rent, the National Hotel listed eighteen rooms on East Government Street.[1] Records show the National Hotel boarding house as early as 1900. The ownership of the National Hotel fluctuated throughout its years of service. One column in the Pensacola Journal states, “Mrs. W.T. King has leased the upper floors of the National Hotel, which has recently been suspended owing to the ill health of the proprietress, and will in future conduct a boarding house at that place.”[2] Boarding houses served as recovery housing, vacation housing, or simply room and board facilities. Robert Brymer calls this type of place social housing, which is another term for public housing. On January 29, 1905, the National Hotel made headlines again, this time for Frasier Franklin Bingham’s purchase of the property for $9,000.
[3] Bingham also owned the Hotel San Carlos. The National Hotel is a part of the push to develop a tourist haven in Pensacola. It naturally became a part of the traveler’s haven of the city, and made the transition from a boarding house to a hotel. The National Hotel regularly appears in the Pensacola Journal after 1905 showcasing the names of its customers. Some used their hotel as their winter or summer home during the holidays and their activities were regularly shared in the newspaper.
However, the hotel appeared in the news yet again on January 25, 1906 with the headline, “National Hotel Property Sold!”[4] F.F. Bingham sold the property for $3,000 more than he purchased it to Henry and J. Whiting Hyer.
The real estate business in Pensacola continually flowed throughout the first decades of the 20th century. Residents benefited from the exchange because popular hotels remained in business. In fact, every owner of the National Hotel upgraded the facility in hopes to attract more visitors. New amenities and technology upgrades retained the hotel’s value. The 1906 clip states that, “…[the property] is of considerable value on account of its location and the fact that a three-story building occupies the site…and Mr. Bingham has rented the building to various parties.”[5]
Recommended Readings
Brosnaham, Richard Thomas. 2010. From red-light district to the national register: an overview of historic preservation in Pensacola, Florida. [Pensacola, Fla.]: University of West Florida. http://purl.fcla.edu/fcla/etd/WFE0000222.
Brymer, Robert A. Hospitality & Tourism: An Introduction to the Industry. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co, 2000.
[1] The Pensacola Journal. (Pensacola, Fla.), 20 July 1909. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062268/1909-07-20/ed-1/seq-6/.
[2] The Pensacola Journal. (Pensacola, Fla.), 01 Jan. 1905. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062268/1905-01-01/ed-1/seq-3/.
[3] The Pensacola Journal. (Pensacola, Fla.), 29 Jan. 1905. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062268/1905-01-29/ed-1/seq-1/.
[4] “National Hotel Property Sold!” The Pensacola Journal. (Pensacola, Fla.), 25 Jan. 1906. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Library of Congress. http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn87062268/1906-01-25/ed-1/seq-1/.
[5] Ibid., “National Hotel Property Sold.”
Featured Image:
Hills, Mariah. “National Hotel.” Photo. History Department. University of West Florida. April 2017.
Author: Mariah Mills
Researcher ID: 0000-0002-5323-8034