Historic Tutwiler Hotel in Downtown Birmingham Celebrates One Hundred Years

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. December 05, 2014

BIRMINGHAM, AL - December 5, 2014 - Downtown Birmingham's historic Tutwiler hotel recently celebrated 100 years of serving guests with a plaque commemorating the event and describing the property's history and rebirth.

The centennial celebration also featured a gigantic birthday cake replica of the building and the great-grandson of the hotel's namesake displaying his grandfather's pocket watch.

Birmingham mayor William A. Bell, Sr. and Temple Tutwiler, III, the grandson of the original hotel's financier, unveiled the new historic landmark sign in a ceremony that also featured hotel officials donating 100,000 Hilton Honors points to the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

“It is a singular honor to be included in this splendid event as a representative of the founding family,” said Tutwiler. “I know my great-grandfather would have been proud that the new ownership and management of this hotel recognizes its importance to the history of Birmingham,” Tutwiler added.

Now owned by Interwest Capital, a national leader in the hospitality sector, and managed by New Orleans-based HRI Lodging, one of the 50 largest hotel management companies in the U.S., the Tutwiler is designated as a National Historic Landmark. Today the hotel is known as the Hampton Inn & Suites Birmingham-Downtown-Tutwiler.

In 1913, George Gordon Crawford, president of Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, complained to Robert Jemison Jr., that when friends and officers from U.S. Steel came to town they had no decent place to stay. W.P.G. Harding, president of the First National Bank, set out to secure the mortgage for the hotel, and the group approached Major Edward Magruder Tutwiler.

Major Tutwiler agreed to underwrite the first mortgage bonds. Then he added, “If agreeable, I wish they could call the hotel…The Tutwiler.” Hence the “Tutwiler” brand was born.

The Tutwiler opened its doors on June 15, 1914. More than 8,000 turned out in formal attire to see the newly-proclaimed “Grand Dame of Southern Hotels.” For the next 60 years, The Tutwiler was the hub of Birmingham's business, social and political circles. Hundreds of celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries walked through the doors of The Tutwiler at the southeast corner of 5th Avenue and 20th Street. It was built in a lavish style, with a large, elegant main lobby that had balconies overlooking from two mezzanine levels.

The original building was imploded in 1974 to make way for the First Alabama Bank building. A few blocks away, the eight-story Ridgley Apartments, at 21st Street and 6th Avenue, was also financed and owned by Major Tutwiler and completed in April 1914.

The Ridgeley operated as a luxury apartment building until 1985, when it was 72 years old. Like many other fine buildings of its era, it had lost its utility as an apartment building. The Ridgeley-Tutwiler rebirth was initiated by the great-grandson of Major Tutwiler, Temple Tutwiler III, who in early 1985 advanced the idea of the transformation of the apartment building to a hotel also named The Tutwiler. The original apartments yielded 148 spacious guest rooms, with 13 different room layouts per floor.

Beginning in May 2006, The Tutwiler underwent a total transformation, with upgrades including a fitness center, business center, signature restaurant and a refinishing of every guestroom. The historic architecture, including the exterior, polished marble floors and vaulted ceilings, are the only components that remain the same.

Interwest Capital acquired the Tutwiler earlier in June. The Tutwiler is the sixth hotel property in Interwest's diverse commercial real estate portfolio.

HRI Lodging and Interwest Capital Corporation established their relationship through a joint venture in which the two firms purchased the Hotel New Orleans in 2011, renovated and re-branded it as Hyatt Place New Orleans Convention Center.

About HRI Lodging

HRI Lodging, LLC (HRIL) is one of the 50 largest hotel management companies in the U.S. with a current portfolio of 19 hotels and resorts spanning the continental U.S. By building alliances with major domestic and international investment firms, the organization pursues a dual mode growth strategy of managing independent, boutique properties as well as partnering with industry leading brands, including Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Starwood and Intercontinental Hotel Group. HRI Lodging is the hotel management division of New Orleans-based HRI Properties, a full-service real estate development company and a national leader in the adaptive reuse of historic structures. HRI's mission is: Revitalizing Cities by Creating Diverse, Vibrant and Sustainable Communities.

About Interwest Capital Corporation

Interwest Capital Corporation is a La Jolla, CA based opportunistic investment firm that specializes in the acquisition of performing and non-performing commercial real estate loans and loan portfolios as well as direct real estate investments nationwide. Interwest owns a diverse portfolio of multi-family apartment communities, mixed-use retail centers, boutique hotels and office buildings. A significant portion of the portfolio consists of unique historic properties in vibrant downtown submarkets.

Contact:

Tom Long
Thomas Long Corporate Communications
504-283-8522
504-669-3030 (cell)
8600 Pontchartrain Blvd.
Suite 201
New Orleans, LA 70124