Alcazar Hotel (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)

The Alcazar Hotel is a historic building in the Cedar-Fairmount district of Cleveland Heights, Ohio. The hotel was built in 1923 in the Spanish-Moorish style, based on hotels such as the Alcazar and Ponce de Leon in St. Augustine, Florida.[3] The interior courtyard, with a covered arcade, is decorated with colored glazed tiles and a central fountain. The architect was Harry T. Jeffery; sculpture, decorative plasterwork, and fountain was done by Fischer and Jirouch. Prominent guests included Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Mary Martin, Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Lupe Vélez and Johnny Weissmueller. It has been said that Cole Porter wrote the iconic song "Night and Day" while staying at the hotel. The Alcazar was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 17, 1979.[4] The Alcazar Hotel is also a Cleveland Heights Landmark.[2]

Alcazar Hotel
Cleveland Heights Landmark
The Alcazar Hotel, at the corner of Surrey Rd. and Derbyshire Rd.
Alcazar Hotel (Cleveland Heights, Ohio) is located in Ohio
Alcazar Hotel (Cleveland Heights, Ohio)
Location2450 Derbyshire Road
Cleveland Heights, Ohio
Coordinates41°30′9.34″N 81°35′35.49″W / 41.5025944°N 81.5931917°W / 41.5025944; -81.5931917
Built1923
ArchitectFischer & Jirouch and Harry Jeffery & Son[1]
Architectural styleSpanish Colonial Revival, Moorish Revival[2]
NRHP reference No.79001805[1]
Added to NRHP17 April 1979[1]

In 1963, the hotel was sold to Western Reserve Associates, and partially converted into a retirement home, with the remainder still used as a hotel. In September 2014, the Alcazar was sold by Western Reserve to Kirt Montlack Ltd. for $1.3 million.[5] The developer eliminated the lodging units and converted the building entirely to apartments.[6] In July 2022, the building was sold for $2.6 million to RP Derbyshire LLC, headed by Rico Pietro and Erik Loomis.[7] The new owners announced plans to restore the original hotel lobby, dining room and other common areas on the ground floor.

Historic uses

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  • Multiple Dwelling
  • Hotel

References

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  1. ^ a b c "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. June 30, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Alcazar Hotel". The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. Case Western Reserve University. May 25, 2003. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  3. ^ "The Alcazar Hotel". Cleveland Heights Historical Society. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  4. ^ "Ohio National Register Searchable Database". Ohio History Connection. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  5. ^ McFee, Michelle Jarboe (September 27, 2014). "Historic Alcazar hotel in Cleveland Heights sold to apartment investor Kirt Montlack". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  6. ^ Henke, James (January 9, 2015). "New owners plan to renovate historic Alcazar". Heights Observer. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
  7. ^ "Historic Alcazar Hotel in Cleveland Heights sold for $2.6M".
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