Grayson County TXGenWeb

Hotel Denison

Barnett, Haynes and Barnett of St. Louis were the architects and engineers, with George H. Bartling acting as the man in charge on the site. Craftsmen and contractors from all over North Texas and beyond were part of the construction. D. B. Ridpath of Ardmore, Okla., did the excavation and poured the concrete; Charles Schley of Denison handled the brick work and terra cotta trim. The painting and decorating contract went to W. H. Crutcher of Dallas, and Waco Sash and Door provided the mill work. The hotel's extensive tile, terrazzo and marble enhancements came from J. Desco & Son of Dallas, and J. C. Korioth of Sherman took care of the heating and plumbing.

Work officially began at 2:10 p.m., Sept. 6, 1923, when J.E.T. Peters, the Secretary of the Chamber of Commerce, climbed to the top of Beazley's Garage, the building which stood on the ground the hotel would occupy, pried a brick loose from the facade and tossed it to the ground below. There was a short program, a toast to the success of the venture and Schley's workmen set to razing the garage.

The architects' drawing called for a six-story building costing $222,942.80, exclusive of the furnishings. Constructing had only just begun when it was decided to add a seventh floor of suites. All told, the hotel would come in at just under $400,000.

Rising with the building was the interest of the public. As the finishing touches were added to the interior, the Denison Herald carried stories almost daily on the progress of the work. "The Southwestern Bell Telephone Company has received a shipment of 115 desk telephones to be installed in the Hotel Simpson," the paper reported. Desk sets were a rare commodity in hotels of the time, wall-mounted telephones were the norm. "Each room will be equipped with desk sets, a feature not enjoyed in some of the larger hotels in Texas," the paper chronicled with pride. Other stories brought the news of carpeting, furniture and kitchen fixtures being fitted in place.

The news clipping below from 1940 explains that the name was changed to Hotel Denison when H. C. Huff replaced J. M. Crumpton as manager. However, the 1940 story incorrectly states that the first Hotel Denison burned "about fifteen years ago." In June of 1940 the fire of January 1920 had actually happened more than twenty years before.

Jack Berry departed his position as manager of Hotel Denison in order to enter the service of the U.S.Army; Mrs. Willie Ormsby managed the hotel for a time until moving to the same position with the Ambassador Hotel in Dallas. During the interim, Mrs. Lute Loy was acting manager of the hotel's large staff of maids and Mrs. Regna Chapman was acting manager of the coffee shop, supervising the cooks and waitresses. Louis Herd was day clerk and Herschel Enkins night clerk, each supervising a staff of bell hops and porters. Glen McElva was chef with a coterie of assistant cooks and kitchen men.
According to Dr. T.J. Long, son-in-law of Lute Loy and President of the Hotel Denison, Inc., announced that M.M. Norris accepted the management of Hotel Denison at the end of July 1942. He, his wife and 18-year-old daughter drove from Springfield, Ohio where he was manager of the Bancroft Hotel after being transferred from Waco, where he had managed the Raleigh Hotel. (The Denison Press, Thursday, August 6, 1942, pg. 1)

In 1947 plans for the hotel were to build an addition on the west side of the hotel. Improvements made in 1947 were air-conditioning and a modern automatic elevator. The manager of the hotel was the popular and civic minded young man, Judd Sampson. (The Denison Press, Friday, June 27, 1947, pg. 14)