This tag was created by Tyler Hodgkinson.
Going Out With A Bang: The Concealed History of The Mississippi Hotel | Tyler Hodgkinson
The formerly known Mississippi Hotel like many other buildings has lived a plethora of lives. Originally built by Napoleon Levalle in 1872 and soon purchased by the McIlquham family, the hotel served as high class lodging for traveling salesmen hosting “ornate woodwork, a grand staircase and the stone facade had wooden white wrap-around verandas. The elegant dining room tables were covered in fine lace linen and gleaming cutlery, and the Mississippi Hotel became known for its homemade food and attracted travelling salesman from far and wide.” [1]
Looking at the building today, we see The Grand Hotel, a beautifully decorated establishment with chic dining, classy bar, and elegant venue space often used to host weddings [2]. One may assume from these two points that the hotel has always served as a place of high culture and sophistication but for those unaware of the hotels fuller history it may come as a surprise that the hotel had a bit of a rowdy era, featuring rock bands, strip shows, jam packed parties, and even biker gangs before going vacant in the late 1980’s.
This exhibition will explore the transition the hotel made covering the chimney fire in 1959 that started this downward trend, the fresh repairs and renovations that should have helped continue the Mississippi's ongoing reputation, the change of the hotels target demographic due to financial pressures, the lively but questionable period of strip shows, drug use, massive parties, and biker gang presence, and lastly the short period of downfall that left the hotel vacant for close to a decade.
