Hotel Alex Johnson

Hotel Alex Johnson is a historic hotel in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota. It opened in 1928 under the name of its founder and namesake, Alex Carlton Johnson, a vice president of the Chicago & North Western Railroad. The property was conceived during a period when Rapid City was becoming an important gateway to the Black Hills and nearby tourist attractions. Construction began on August 19, 1927, one day before work started on Mount Rushmore, and the hotel opened to guests on July 1, 1928. Its formal dedication followed on August 11 of the same year. The eight-story building was designed by Chicago architects Oldefest & Williams. Its architecture combines Tudor Revival influences with regional and vernacular details, including decorative brickwork and a flat roof. The hotel was among the earliest tall buildings in South Dakota and remains the tallest building in Rapid City. Interior decoration incorporates Western and Native American motifs. Surviving historic features include a teepee-shaped chandelier, hand-drawn ceiling designs, and wooden sculptures depicting Native American chiefs. These elements form a central part of the hotel's identity and distinguish it from standardized contemporary lodging. The property changed corporate hands several times. Alex Carlton Johnson sold it to the Eppley Hotel Company in 1947. When Sheraton Hotels and Resorts acquired the Eppley chain in 1956, the property was renamed the Sheraton-Johnson Hotel. Sheraton sold the hotel in 1965 but continued to operate it under a franchise arrangement until 1968, after which the original Hotel Alex Johnson name returned. The building became a contributing property in the Rapid City Historic Commercial Historic District when that district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Its historical importance rests both on its architecture and on its connection to the growth of Rapid City as a commercial and tourism center in the Black Hills. In the twenty-first century, the hotel has operated as part of Hilton's Curio Collection, a portfolio focused on distinctive, independently characterized properties. Liv Hospitality manages the hotel. A restoration and renovation project announced in 2016 was intended to address infrastructure and refurbish interior spaces, with an estimated total cost of approximately $7 million; no financial outcome is specified here because the available reference does not establish the final expenditure. The hotel also markets its long-running paranormal folklore. Guests and visitors have reported alleged apparitions, unexplained sounds, moving objects, and mirror figures, including stories associated with a so-called Lady in White in room 812 and with the ghost of Alex Johnson. These accounts are folklore and have not been established as factual events. The property has maintained guest books for paranormal experiences and has offered a Ghost Adventure Package featuring access to reputedly haunted rooms and an electromagnetic-field reader. The hotel was featured in a 2011 episode of the television program Ghost Hunters. In popular culture, the former Sheraton-Johnson Hotel is mentioned in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 film North by Northwest; Hitchcock, Cary Grant, and Eva Marie Saint reportedly stayed there while filming near Mount Rushmore.

Hotel Alex Johnson was developed by Alex Carlton Johnson, a vice president of the Chicago & North Western Railroad, during Rapid City's expansion as a commercial and tourism center in the Black Hills. The project was originally associated with the name Hay Camp. Construction began on August 19, 1927, one day before work began on Mount Rushmore, a coincidence that later became part of the property's historical narrative. The hotel opened on July 1, 1928, and received its formal dedication on August 11, 1928. The building was designed by Chicago architects Oldefest & Williams. It is an eight-story brick structure using Tudor Revival and vernacular elements, with decorative masonry and a flat roof. At the time of its completion, it was one of South Dakota's earliest tall buildings and it remains Rapid City's tallest building. The interior was designed with regional themes, including Western and Native American decorative references. Historic elements that have survived include a teepee-shaped chandelier, illustrated ceiling motifs, and wooden sculptures representing Native American chiefs. Johnson sold the hotel to the Eppley Hotel Company in 1947. In 1956, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts acquired the Eppley chain, and the Rapid City property was renamed the Sheraton-Johnson Hotel. Sheraton sold the building in 1965 but retained operating involvement through a franchise contract. In 1968, the property resumed the Hotel Alex Johnson name. The hotel gained formal historic recognition in 1974, when it was listed as a contributing property to the National Register-listed Rapid City Historic Commercial Historic District. This designation recognized the building as part of the historic commercial fabric of downtown Rapid City rather than treating it solely as an isolated hotel property. The property later became part of Hilton's Curio Collection, a group of hotels selected for individual identity and local character. Liv Hospitality is identified as its manager. In 2016, a restoration initiative was announced with the aim of improving building infrastructure and refurbishing interior spaces. The reported estimated cost was $7 million, although the available material does not document the project's final cost or all completed work. A separate part of the hotel's modern identity comes from paranormal stories. Folklore connected with the building includes reports of footsteps, voices, moving objects, figures in mirrors, and alleged apparitions. The Lady in White is said to be associated with room 812, while other stories attribute sightings to Alex Johnson himself. These accounts are presented as legends and guest reports, not verified historical facts. The hotel has supported the theme through guest experience books, a Ghost Adventure Package, and access to reputedly haunted rooms with an EMF reader. A front-desk book recording paranormal experiences was reported stolen by December 2024. The hotel has also appeared in popular culture. The former Sheraton-Johnson Hotel is mentioned in dialogue in Alfred Hitchcock's 1959 film North by Northwest as the lodging associated with the fictional George Kaplan. Hitchcock and the film's stars Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint reportedly stayed at the hotel while production took place near Mount Rushmore. The combination of landmark architecture, local history, film association, and ghost folklore has allowed Hotel Alex Johnson to maintain a differentiated position within Rapid City's lodging market.

• 2016

  Restoration project announced

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  A project was announced to modernize infrastructure and refurbish the interior, with an estimated cost of $7 million.

• 2011

  Featured on Ghost Hunters

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was filmed for an episode of the seventh season of Ghost Hunters.

• 1974

  Historic district recognition

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel became a contributing property in the National Register-listed Rapid City Historic Commercial Historic District.

• 1968

  Original name restored

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel resumed the Hotel Alex Johnson name after Sheraton's franchise operation ended.

• 1965

  Sheraton sells the hotel

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  Sheraton sold the property but continued operating it under a franchise arrangement.

• 1956

  Property enters Sheraton operation

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  After Sheraton acquired Eppley, the hotel was renamed the Sheraton-Johnson Hotel.

• 1947

  Sold to Eppley Hotel Company

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  Alex Carlton Johnson sold the hotel to the Eppley Hotel Company.

• 1928

  Hotel opens in Rapid City

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  The property opened on July 1, 1928, and was formally dedicated on August 11.

• 1927

  Construction begins

  [1]Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org

  Construction of the hotel began on August 19, 1927, shortly before work started on Mount Rushmore.

An upscale historic hotel positioned around architectural character, Black Hills heritage, distinctive Western and Native American-inspired design, and paranormal folklore.

• Hospitality · 1928

  Hotel accommodation

  Guest rooms and suites in an operating historic hotel in downtown Rapid City. The lodging experience is differentiated by the building's early twentieth-century architecture, surviving decorative features, Black Hills location, and association with the hotel's local legends.

• Heritage hospitality · 1928

  Historic hotel experience

  The property offers a heritage-oriented stay centered on its eight-story historic structure, Tudor Revival and vernacular architectural elements, Western and Native American-inspired interior decoration, and place in Rapid City's commercial history.

• Themed hospitality

  Ghost Adventure Package

  A themed guest experience built around the hotel's paranormal folklore. The package invites guests to stay in rooms reputed to be haunted and provides an EMF reader. Its premise is entertainment and local legend rather than a scientifically verified claim of supernatural activity.

• Hospitality services

  Food, beverage, and events

  The hotel provides conventional full-service hospitality functions, including dining, beverage service, and facilities for meetings, weddings, and other events. Specific outlet names and operating details are not established in the supplied reference material.

• 2016

  Announced restoration and refurbishmentStrategy

  Background

  The historic property required infrastructure updates and interior refurbishment.

  Action taken

  A restoration project was announced with an estimated total cost of approximately $7 million.

  Aftermath

  The supplied reference does not establish the final project cost or the complete scope of work delivered.

  Estimated restoration project cost. $7 million estimated (2016 announcement)

  Source

• 1968

  Restored the Hotel Alex Johnson nameStrategy

  Background

  Sheraton's franchise operation of the property ended after the 1965 sale.

  Action taken

  The property resumed its original Hotel Alex Johnson identity.

  Aftermath

  The original name has remained central to the hotel's historic positioning.

  Source

• 1956

  Adopted the Sheraton-Johnson identityStrategy

  Background

  Sheraton Hotels and Resorts acquired the Eppley Hotel Company, which owned the property.

  Action taken

  The hotel was renamed the Sheraton-Johnson Hotel and operated within Sheraton's network.

  Aftermath

  Sheraton later sold the hotel in 1965 but continued operation through a franchise contract until the original name returned in 1968.

  Source

1. 1Hotel Alex Johnsonen.wikipedia.org