Holiday Inn

Holiday Inn is a national motel chain with several locations in the Birmingham District. The first local Holiday Inn motel was erected in 1954 at 4301 Bessemer Super Highway across from the Bessemer Coal, Iron and Land Company offices. The $500,000 project was undertaken by Richard Hall Brown's B-D Development Co.. With 80 air-conditioned rooms, a swimming pool, restaurant and service station, it claimed to be the "largest motel in the Birmingham district." Space was reserved on the 850-foot by 300-foot site for an additional 20 rooms.

Three more Holiday Inn were developed in 1962 by franchisee Shades Crest Motels. Those first locations used architectural designs created by Memphis-based architect William Bond and were built by the chain's own construction division. Allen Bartlett served as local architect of record.

Locations

• Holiday Inn-Bessemer, 4301 Bessemer Super Highway (built 1954, damaged by fire 1972), now Hiway Host Motel
• 1608 11th Avenue North (1958)
• Holiday Inn-Civic Center, 2230 10th Avenue North (built 1962)
• Holiday Inn-Downtown Birmingham 1313 3rd Avenue North, Birmingham (1962–) with a Britling Holiday Inn restaurant), now Kings Inn
• Holiday Inn-Eastwood, 7941 Crestwood Boulevard (built 1962), later USA Economy Lodge (closed 2021)
• Holiday Inn-Hoover, Montgomery Highway, Hoover (1962–)
• Holiday Inn Birmingham-Airport, 5000 Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North

References

• "$500,000 project—Swank motel to be built between city, Bessemer" (February 1954) The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound
• Allen, Fred (January 1962) "Holiday Inn plans plush motel in city" The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Rewound

External links

• Holiday Inn-Birmingham, AL rendering at rediscoveredpaper.com