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"Rooms
with a Past"
Texarkana's McCartney Hotel
Texarkana,
TexasBuilt:
1929
Architect: Joseph Finger
National Register of Historic Places
By James Ramsey
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Texarkana
Hotels |
| Listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, the ten-story McCartney, even while vacant, continues
to dominate Texarkana's
skyline. The hotel (in 1929) replaced the smaller (three-story) Cosmopolitan which
was demolished. Both hotels were built on the first town lot sold in the city
of Texarkana. |
| Photo
courtesy Texarkana Museums System |
The hotel's namesake,
W.A. McCartney, Sr. came to Texarkana
at the age of four (in 1874) and became one of the towns most prominent citizens
- even becoming known as Texarkana's
unofficial historian.
The hotel stands directly across the street from
the main entrance to Union
Station Terminal. |
The
Hotel McCartney in its heyday.
Postcard courtesy James Ramsey |
| Designed
to be pedestrian-friendly, the lobby and mezzanine were accessible from the south,
east, and west facades. A ballroom and roof attached to the mezzanine. There have
been no drastic alterations since the hotel's opening day and its beautiful gold
and silver Art Deco interiors
remain intact. The mezzanine features an elaborate skylight and another notable
features include marble wainscotting and a curved marble staircase. |
| Photo
courtesy James Ramsey |
Having
had such a dependence on rail passengers, the hotel's business decreased as travel
by rail was eclipsed by air travel. Except for being used briefly as a backdrop
for a 1976 movie - and as a storage facility - the hotel has not seen a guest
since the mid 1970s.
©
James Ramsey
June
22, 2005 | |
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