Historic Hotel Statler, built in 1917, has come a long way and now stands as a Marriott property

Historic Hotel Statler is in the center.Photo bypublichall, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The historic Hotel Statler was also known as the St. Louis Gateway Hotel. It's located at 822 Washington Avenue in St. Louis, Missouri. On March 19, 1982, this building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It is now a Marriott property.

The hotel is at the southeast corner of Ninth Street and Washington Avenue was completed in 1917. This hotel was an early example of what we know as a chain hotel. It was designed by George B. Post & Sons of New York along with Mauran, Russell and Crowell of St. Louis. It was awarded by the Saint Louis Art League for its architecture.

In 1955, the Statler was sold to the Hilton chain. In 1966, it was sold to Towne Realty Co. of Milwaukee and renamed The Gateway Hotel. This was the fourth Statler Hotel to be built in the U.S. It was also the first one to be air conditioned.

The hotel had 20 floors and 650 rooms. There was also a ballroom on the top floor with a vaulted ceiling and Corinthian columns.

Statler Hotels

The Statler Hotel catered to tourists and traveling businessmen. It was founded by Ellsworth Milton (E.M.) Statler (1863-1928) in Buffalo, New York.

The first Statler Hotel was built in 1907 in Buffalo, New York. It was the first major hotel that included a private bathroom in every room. Other hotels were constructed in Cleveland in 1912, Detroit in 1915, and St. Louis in 1917.

Photo byMarriott St. Louis Grand via Facebook.

In 1987, the hotel was closed for renovation. It never reopened and was vacant for some time including being affected fires and deterioration. Finally, in 1999, the city had funds to start cleaning up the hotel.

From 2000 to 2002, it expanded under a renovation and reopened as the Renaissance St. Louis Grand Hotel. In 2015, it was renamed the Marriott St. Louis Grand.

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