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Hotels' Final Fate
With a distinguished list of Dinkler properties scattered across the South, some might wonder what became of the buildings.
The 11-floor Jefferson Davis Hotel, circa 1929, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and is now an apartment building. And the Lookout Mountain Hotel is now Covenant College. But other former Dinkler hotels have not been so fortunate.
Atlanta's Dinkler Plaza Hotel was razed in 1972, and the acre of land on which the hotel had been located was sold for a reported $7.7 million in 1988. Beginning in 1967, architect and developer John Portman ushered in a new era, transforming the Atlanta skyline with his awe inspiring Hyatt Regency Hotel (complete with a floor-to-ceiling atrium, glass elevators and its trademark flying saucer-like restaurant). Portman's cylindrical, 73-floor Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel and the dramatic Marriott Marquis came later, signifying an end to a chapter in Atlanta history in which grand historic hotels (like the Dinkler Plaza/Hotel Ansley, the Piedmont and the Henry Grady) had graced the cityscape with their magnificent architectural presence, exemplifying elegance, tradition and southern hospitality. The age of the sleek, contemporary skyscraper had officially arrived.
Similarly, the original Tutwiler Hotel in Birmingham was leveled in 1974 to make way for the 17-floor Regions Bank Building. Greensboro's O. Henry Hotel, built in 1919, was replaced by the Bellemeade Street Parking Deck. And the 12-floor Andrew Jackson Hotel, a Nashville fixture dating back to 1925, was demolished, vacating space for the James K. Polk State Office Building.
Dinkler III does, however, believe the highest levels of quality and service can be expected of certain modern chain hotels, but for a price, as opposed to the days of family-owned hotels like the Dinkler properties where "it was a given."
Noting the evolving hospitality industry and a desire to pursue a career path of his own, Carling Dinkler III opted not to become a hotelier. He moved from Atlanta to New Orleans where he operated an airport shuttle service and later owned the New Orleans Gray Line sightseeing tour franchise. A founder of the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dinkler III eventually carved out a successful niche in the convention business with his lucrative destination management venture, Custom Conventions. Operating in the "Crescent City" and Las Vegas, the company can coordinate and facilitate virtually every aspect of a client's meeting or conference.
No longer a Birmingham landmark, courtesy of "progress" and the wrecking ball, the original Tutwiler Hotel (built in 1914 at 20th Street and 5th Avenue North), pictured above, is not to be confused with Birmingham's current Tutwiler Hotel (formerly the Ridgeley Apartments, built one year earlier and located at 2021 Park Place North).
The Dinkler Legacy
Carling Dinkler III has observed many changes in the hospitality industry and asserts, "When hotels changed from being totally owned by families-be it Hilton or Dinkler-the whole world changed [as far as] how hotels are operated." He adds, "Hotels began losing their innkeeping cache, becoming more of a cash machine, in the 60s."
"You know the more I think about the differences between now and when we were in the business, I cannot help but note that these are really different times with different expectations," Dinkler III reflects. "The world in general is a bit more casual. People wear blue jeans (expensive ones at that), and the coat and tie are going by the wayside. Perhaps we were doing the right thing at the right time. Having said that, I will always believe there is a place for good service and customer care. It just costs a lot of money to provide in these times. I do think the Dinklers were part of the growth of hospitality and, in some ways, its innovation, but we live in times in which ROI (return of investment) and stock value are more important than the proper way to turn down a bed."
