Tutwiler Hotel

The Tutwiler: Past, Present and Future

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 into town they had no decent place to stay: “I have difficulty getting favorable consideration from (U.S. Steel) members because they spend most of their time complaining about inadequate hotel facilities”.

Jemison soon learned that Harvey G. Woodward was hoping to sell a lot on the southeast corner of 5th Avenue and 20th Street, a lot bought for the sole purpose of preventing the construction of a new office building that threatened to compete with Woodward’s other downtown properties. Immediately, Jemison challenged Crawford to join him in making the dream of a luxury hotel in Birmingham a reality. Crawford’s reply: “I believe that you have called my bluff.”

While Crawford assumed the duties of president of the new company, Jemison and W.P.G. Harding, president of the First National Bank, set out to secure the mortgage for the hotel. At Harding’s suggestion, they approached Major Edward Magruder Tutwiler, who had just sold his interest in the Tutwiler Coal and Coke Company and was about to embark on a tour of South America with his wife.

Major Tutwiler tentatively agreed to underwrite the first mortgage bonds. When he returned from South America, he learned from Jemison that the option had been exercised and plans were already underway for the new hotel. “Well, Bob,” he said, “you certainly have not misplaced you confidence.” Then he added, “If agreeable, I wish they could call the new hotel …The Tutwiler.”

The Tutwiler opened its doors in June 15, 1914 with great with great aplomb. Easter lilies filled the lobbies, and Alabama’s leading citizens turned out in formal attire to see the newly proclaimed “Grand Dame of Southern Hotels.” Promotional brochures announced that the Tutwiler “Embodies every advanced thought (that) architectural ingenuity, aided by skilled labor, has so far devised… consisting of 325 rooms, equipped with bath or shower, fire alarms and telephone.” Rates ranged from $1.50 for a single room without bath to $6.00 for a double room with bath.

For the next 60 years, The Tutwiler was the hub of Birmingham business, social, and political circles. Hundreds of celebrities, politicians, and dignitaries walked through the doors of The Tutwiler, and more often than not history was made there. A reviewing stand for the largest annual Veterans Day Parade in the country was erected outside the Tutwiler; Charles Lindbergh held a 1927 press conference in its Louis XIV Suite; Tallulah Bankhead threw a rousing post wedding party in its Continental Rooms and President Warren G. Harding slept at The Tutwiler the night before he helped celebrate Birmingham’s Semi Centennial.

Over the years, distinguished guest have included Will Rogers, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, opera star Mary Garden, Jeanette McDonald, Nelson Eddy, Walter Pigeon, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, and Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and more recently Secretary of State Dr. Condoleeza Rice and British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In the near century since, The Tutwiler has been through multiple renovations, including a move from the Southside of Birmingham to its prime location downtown. However, it has not seen major improvements since 1986, and in order to fulfill its purpose as one of the best hotels in Birmingham and one of the best in the country, it is time again for The Tutwiler to make changes.

The Tutwiler will go through a total transformation in 2006. The historic architecture, such as the building’s exterior, the polished marble floors and the vaulted ceilings, will be the only elements to remain the same. The interior of the building will get a total makeover – with exciting new amenities such as a fitness center, a convenient suite shop and a breakfast room with a view of the city to be added.

The hotel will remain open during renovations, and construction will be completed one floor at a time, so guests will be largely unaware renovations are taking place until they check into their breathtaking suite on their next visit.