Fort Sumter Hotel

The Fort Sumter Hotel was a historic hotel at 1 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. The seven-story building was designed by Atlanta architect G. Lloyd Preacher and developed as a large urban hotel during a period when Charleston was expanding its convention and visitor infrastructure. Construction began on April 1, 1923. Guests were first accepted in April 1924, and the formal opening took place on May 6, 1924. The completed property contained 225 rooms and reportedly cost $850,000 to build. The hotel became associated with several notable episodes in American political, military, literary, and local history. In February 1942, shortly after John F. Kennedy arrived in Charleston for naval intelligence service, he stayed at the hotel for three nights with Inga Arvad, a former Miss Denmark who was being monitored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation because of her connections with German and Nazi figures. The FBI recorded the encounters and relayed information to Kennedy's father, Joseph P. Kennedy. The elder Kennedy sought to separate the couple, and John Kennedy was subsequently reassigned to a Pacific naval posting, where he later commanded the patrol torpedo boat PT-109. Kennedy later summarized the intervention by saying that he had effectively been sent away to end the relationship. During the Second World War, the property also took on an official military role. Beginning on July 22, 1942, it served as headquarters for the Sixth Naval District under an arrangement reportedly worth $80,000 per year. The building returned to hotel use after refurbishment and reopened in 1946. In April 1947, playwright Tennessee Williams and his agent Audrey Wood met producer Irene Selznick at the hotel to discuss Selznick's production of Williams's play A Streetcar Named Desire, which had recently been retitled from Poker Night. By the mid-1950s, Charleston's convention business was generating interest in expanding the property. In 1956, the hotel considered adding between 60 and 100 rooms. The proposed expansion was not ultimately carried out as a hotel project. In 1967, the property was sold to Sheraton Hotels, which invested in renovations and renamed it the Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel. Sheraton sold the building in 1973 to local investors. The hotel then closed permanently, and the new owners spent approximately $2 million converting the 225-room building into a 67-unit condominium complex. The conversion included penthouses and created an eighth floor by altering the roof structure, although the change was designed to have limited visual impact from the street. The resulting residential building became known as the Fort Sumter House. Thus, the Fort Sumter Hotel brand is historical rather than an active hotel operation.

The Fort Sumter Hotel was built at 1 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina, as a major urban lodging property. Designed by G. Lloyd Preacher of Atlanta, the building was planned as a seven-story, 225-room hotel. Construction began on April 1, 1923. Guests were admitted from April 1924, while the formal opening ceremony was held on May 6, 1924. The reported construction cost was $850,000. The hotel later acquired historical significance beyond its hospitality role. In February 1942, John F. Kennedy stayed there for three nights with Inga Arvad, a former Miss Denmark whose associations with Nazi figures had drawn FBI attention. The bureau monitored the relationship and passed information to Joseph P. Kennedy. The episode helped prompt Kennedy's reassignment from naval intelligence duties in Charleston to a Pacific posting. The hotel therefore became connected to a formative episode in Kennedy's personal and military history. World War II also changed the building's function. From July 22, 1942, it housed the headquarters of the Sixth Naval District, reportedly under a lease or operating arrangement valued at $80,000 annually. After the war, the building was refurbished and reopened as a hotel in 1946. Its public and cultural profile continued in the postwar period. In April 1947, Tennessee Williams, his agent Audrey Wood, and producer Irene Selznick met at the property to discuss Selznick's potential production of A Streetcar Named Desire. The play had recently been renamed from Poker Night, and the meeting formed part of the production's development history. The hotel was also affected by Charleston's growing convention trade. In 1956, management considered expanding the property by between 60 and 100 rooms. The proposed enlargement reflected expectations of increased convention demand, but the project did not lead to a lasting expansion of hotel operations. Sheraton Hotels acquired the property in 1967 for a reported $435,000. The chain spent an additional $500,000 on renovations and adopted the name Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel. Sheraton's ownership was brief: in 1973 it sold the building to a group of local investors for a reported $850,000. The purchasers closed the hotel and undertook a much more fundamental redevelopment. Approximately $2 million was spent converting the 225-room hotel into a 67-unit condominium complex. Units were projected to sell for approximately $36,000 to $120,000, with the upper end applying to penthouses. The penthouse work created an eighth floor through modification of the roof, although the external change was intended to remain relatively inconspicuous. After the conversion, the building became known as Fort Sumter House. The hotel operation and its associated brand consequently ended, while the historic structure continued as a residential condominium building. The Fort Sumter Hotel is therefore best understood as a defunct Charleston hotel and a predecessor identity of the Fort Sumter House building rather than as a current hotel chain.

• 1973

  Conversion to condominiums

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Local investors acquired the property, closed the hotel, and converted it into the 67-unit Fort Sumter House condominium building.

• 1967

  Sheraton ownership begins

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Sheraton Hotels acquired the property, renovated it, and renamed it Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel.

• 1956

  Expansion considered

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel considered adding 60 to 100 rooms to serve increasing convention activity in Charleston.

• 1947

  Streetcar Named Desire meeting

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Tennessee Williams, Audrey Wood, and Irene Selznick met at the hotel to discuss production of A Streetcar Named Desire.

• 1946

  Hotel resumes operations

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property reopened as a hotel after wartime use and refurbishment.

• 1942

  Military headquarters and Kennedy episode

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was connected both with John F. Kennedy's stay with Inga Arvad and, from July 22, with the headquarters of the Sixth Naval District.

• 1924

  Hotel opens

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Guests were accepted in April, followed by the formal opening on May 6.

• 1923

  Construction begins

  [1]Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Work began on April 1 on the planned 225-room hotel at 1 King Street in Charleston.

A large historic Charleston hotel positioned for urban visitors, convention guests, and wartime administrative use before its conversion into a condominium building.

• Hotel accommodation · 1924

  Fort Sumter Hotel guest rooms

  The original property offered 225 guest rooms in a seven-story Charleston hotel. Its scale made it suitable for ordinary lodging as well as the convention-related demand that management sought to capture in the 1950s.

• Branded hotel · 1967

  Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel

  Following Sheraton's 1967 acquisition, the property operated under the Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel name. Sheraton renovated the building, but the branded hotel operation ended when the property was sold and converted into condominiums in 1973.

• Residential conversion · 1973

  Fort Sumter House condominiums

  The former hotel was redeveloped into a 67-unit condominium building. The project included penthouse units and created an additional floor by restructuring the roof, transforming the property from hospitality use into residential use.

• 1942

  John F. Kennedy and Inga Arvad relationship

  John F. Kennedy stayed at the hotel with Inga Arvad, a former Miss Denmark who was under FBI surveillance because of her connections with Nazi figures. The bureau recorded the encounters and informed Joseph P. Kennedy, contributing to Kennedy's reassignment away from Charleston.

  Source

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• 1973

  Conversion from hotel to condominiumsStrategy

  Background

  Local investors acquired the 225-room property after Sheraton's ownership period.

  Action taken

  The hotel was closed and converted into a 67-unit condominium complex known as Fort Sumter House.

  Aftermath

  The hotel brand became defunct, while the building continued in residential use.

  Conversion investment. $2 million (1973)

  Source

• 1967

  Sheraton acquisition and repositioningM&A

  Background

  Sheraton Hotels acquired the established Charleston property.

  Action taken

  Sheraton renovated the hotel and renamed it the Sheraton-Fort Sumter Hotel.

  Aftermath

  Sheraton sold the property in 1973, ending its operation under the Sheraton name.

  Acquisition price. $435,000 (1967)

  Source

• 1956

  Considered convention-driven expansionStrategy

  Background

  Charleston was experiencing increased convention business, prompting consideration of a 60- to 100-room addition.

  Action taken

  The hotel considered expansion, but the source does not establish that the proposed addition was completed.

  Aftermath

  The property later changed ownership and was ultimately converted into condominiums.

  Source

1. 1Fort Sumter Hotelen.wikipedia.org