Robert Meyer: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Robert Meyer.jpg|right|thumb|Robert Meyer]] | [[File:Robert Meyer.jpg|right|thumb|Robert Meyer]] | ||
'''Robert Randolph Meyer''' (born [[August 1]], [[1882]] in Montgomery; died [[October 31]], [[1947]] in [[Birmingham]]) was a hotel manager and founder of the [[Robert Meyer Hotels]] company, which he modeled after the Statler Hotels chain. As an experienced hotelier, Meyer was brought in to consult on the opening of [[Birmingham]]'s [[Tutwiler Hotel]] in [[1914]]. | '''Robert Randolph Meyer''' (born [[August 1]], [[1882]] in Montgomery; died [[October 31]], [[1947]] in [[Birmingham]]) was a hotel manager and founder of the [[Robert Meyer Hotels]] company, which he modeled after the Statler Hotels chain. As an experienced hotelier, Meyer was brought in to consult on the opening of [[Birmingham]]'s [[Tutwiler Hotel]] in [[1914]]. | ||
Meyer's "Robert Meyer Hotels" management portfolio included the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia; the Hotel Windsor and Hotel Roosevelt in Jacksonville, Florida, the Hotel Stacy-Trent in Trenton, New Jersey; the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania; the Hotel Sir Walter in Raleigh, North Carolina; the Emerson Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland; the Farragut Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee; and the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee. | |||
Meyer was one of the first homeowners to build in [[Jemison Company]]'s newly-established [[Valley View]] subdivision off of [[Altamont Road]]. His [[Robert Meyer residence|residence]] was remodeled in [[1917]] and was one of the first private homes in Birmingham to have a swimming pool. Meyer purchased a group of paintings of Civil War scenes commissioned from Gilbert Gaul by the Southern Art Publishing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. Those works were later donated to the [[Birmingham Museum of Art]]. | |||
He purchased the [[Metropolitan Hotel]] in [[1920]]. In November [[1922]] Meyer married the widowed ''[[Birmingham Age-Herald]]'' publisher [[Lewis Barrett]]. A year later Presbyterian minister [[Henry Edmonds]] convinced Meyer to provide the funding to establish the [[Childrens Fresh Air Farm]]. | |||
Meyer | Meyer had two sons, [[Robert Meyer Jr|Robert Jr]], who died in New Guinea during [[World War II]], and [[Jack Meyer|Jack]].<!--The Meyer Memorial Scholarship to Princeton University and [[Meyer Memorial Chapel]] at the [[Cathedral Church of the Advent]] were established in memory of Robert Jr. In the 1950s and 1960s, the business opened several hotels and motels under the "Robert Meyer Hotels" nameplate.--> | ||
Meyer | Meyer created the [[Robert R. Meyer Foundation]] at [[AmSouth Bank|First National Bank of Birmingham]] in [[1942]]. The foundation has supported numerous local institutions, including [[Southern Research]], the [[Birmingham Botanical Gardens]], the [[Birmingham Zoo]], and the [[Meyer Planetarium]] at [[Birmingham-Southern College]]. | ||
==References== | ==References== | ||
* "Robert Randolph Meyer Sr: 'From much more than modest affluence to generosity to others'." (1983) ''Journal of the Birmingham Historical Society''. Vol. 8, No. 1 | * "Robert Randolph Meyer Sr: 'From much more than modest affluence to generosity to others'." (1983) ''Journal of the Birmingham Historical Society''. Vol. 8, No. 1 | ||
* Turkel, Stanley (2016) ''Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry''. AuthorHouse | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Robert}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Robert}} | ||
Revision as of 12:00, 4 December 2017
Robert Randolph Meyer (born August 1, 1882 in Montgomery; died October 31, 1947 in Birmingham) was a hotel manager and founder of the Robert Meyer Hotels company, which he modeled after the Statler Hotels chain. As an experienced hotelier, Meyer was brought in to consult on the opening of Birmingham's Tutwiler Hotel in 1914. Meyer's "Robert Meyer Hotels" management portfolio included the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia; the Hotel Windsor and Hotel Roosevelt in Jacksonville, Florida, the Hotel Stacy-Trent in Trenton, New Jersey; the Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Reading, Pennsylvania; the Hotel Sir Walter in Raleigh, North Carolina; the Emerson Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland; the Farragut Hotel in Knoxville, Tennessee; and the Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee.
Meyer was one of the first homeowners to build in Jemison Company's newly-established Valley View subdivision off of Altamont Road. His residence was remodeled in 1917 and was one of the first private homes in Birmingham to have a swimming pool. Meyer purchased a group of paintings of Civil War scenes commissioned from Gilbert Gaul by the Southern Art Publishing Company in Nashville, Tennessee. Those works were later donated to the Birmingham Museum of Art.
He purchased the Metropolitan Hotel in 1920. In November 1922 Meyer married the widowed Birmingham Age-Herald publisher Lewis Barrett. A year later Presbyterian minister Henry Edmonds convinced Meyer to provide the funding to establish the Childrens Fresh Air Farm.
Meyer had two sons, Robert Jr, who died in New Guinea during World War II, and Jack.
Meyer created the Robert R. Meyer Foundation at First National Bank of Birmingham in 1942. The foundation has supported numerous local institutions, including Southern Research, the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, the Birmingham Zoo, and the Meyer Planetarium at Birmingham-Southern College.
References
- "Robert Randolph Meyer Sr: 'From much more than modest affluence to generosity to others'." (1983) Journal of the Birmingham Historical Society. Vol. 8, No. 1
- Turkel, Stanley (2016) Great American Hoteliers Volume 2: Pioneers of the Hotel Industry. AuthorHouse