Saint Anthony Hotel
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Saint Anthony Hotel
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The St Anthony
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| Location | 300 Travis St. San Antonio, Texas  United States
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| Coordinates | 29°25′38″N 98°29′19″W / 29.42722°N 98.48861°WCoordinates: 29°25′38″N 98°29′19″W / 29.42722°N 98.48861°W |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1909 |
| Architect | Walker,J. Flood |
| NRHP Reference # | 86002186 |
| Added to NRHP | September 19, 1986 |
The St. Anthony Hotel is a historic 10-story hotel in downtown San Antonio, Texas, in the United States. Built in 1909, it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in America and hosted a wide range of movie stars, royalty, and other famous guests. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The St. Anthony Hotel was constructed by cattlemen B.L. Naylor, F.M. Swearingen, and A.H. Jones. The men believed that San Antonio was destined to become an important tourist destination, and a luxury hotel would not only help make this dream come true but also take advantage of the influx of wealthy people coming to the city.
The St. Anthony was the first luxury hotel in the city. All the rooms had mahogany moldings and furnishings, as well as telephones, and half the rooms featured private baths. It also featured doors which opened automatically, and electric lights that turned off when the patron locked their hotel room door. It was so technologically advanced that it was considered among the world’s most modern hotels. The hotel also featured a richly appointed bar and lounge named "Peacock Alley", added in the 1930s. The hotel's St. Anthony Club restaurant also became well known for its excellent food. In 1915, the owners doubled the hotel's capacity to 430 rooms.
In the depths of the Great Depression, however, the hotel fell on difficult times. It began to deteriorate, and the banks foreclosed on the owners. Ralph W. Morrison, civic leader and rancher, purchased the hotel in 1935 for $475,000. That year, the hotel added air conditioning and a drive-up registration desk. Morrison purchased an extensive art collection to hang in the public spaces, and oriental carpets and French Empire furnishings for the public lounges.
In 1982 the hotel was bought by Inter-Continental Hotels. It was renovated and reopened in 1983 as the St. Anthony Inter-Continental San Antonio. It completed renovations and joined The Luxury Collection division of Starwood Hotels on November 19, 2015.
The St. Anthony Hotel has hosted a number of famous people. These include President Franklin D. Roosevelt, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, General Douglas MacArthur, Vice President John Nance Garner, and humorist Will Rogers.Lyndon B. Johnson spent his honeymoon there. The Newton Gang often resided there in the winter. The hotel was also home to the cast of the first film to win the Academy Award for Best Picture, Wings. Stars of the film that stayed at the hotel included Richard Arlen, Charles "Buddy" Rogers and Clara Bow.
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