A Brief History
Welcome to
the Windsor Hotel. Built in 1892, to attract winter visitors from the north,
the Windsor was a 100-room, five story Victorian structure complete with
towers, balconies, and a three story open atrium lobby. It occupies nearly an
entire city block, and was the site of numerous balls and celebrations. As
famous as the structure is, are the visitors who have graced its halls. The
Windsor closed its doors in the early 1970s, but recently underwent a $5.8
million restoration which returned the historic structure to its original
grandeur. Its grand opening celebration was attended by former President and
First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter as well as many former guests who returned
to the old hotel to relive its good old days. Visitors, now, can stay in any of
53 period style rooms with all-modern amenities. No rooms in the Windsor are
exactly the same, so each room has its own warmth and style.
1888: The Beginning
On
August 22, 1888, a reporter for the Americus Recorder found John
Sheffield and Ross Harper measuring off the courthouse square, which was
bounded by Lee, Lamar, Jackson, and Forsyth Streets. Upon inquiring as to their
purpose, young Mr. Sheffield responded, "because Major Moses Speer and
Papa told me to". In the following month, two Atlanta architects, W.H.
Parkins and G.L. Norrman, submitted proposals. The selection committee of S.H.
Hawkins, John Windsor, and C.M. Wheatley opted for Parkins’ design, on March 21st.
It consisted of a four-story, square, wooden building with 120 rooms.
The
Grand Opening transpired on June 16, 1892. Thousands attended the opening and
over 100 guests registered the first day. A Grand Ball lasted until well after
midnight in the fifth-floor ballroom. The city’s electric railway on the
hotel’s west side was revived for the summer (Americus Electric Car #2 is now
on display at Lake Blackshear Regional Library on Lamar Street).
In
September, 1910, the hotel was completely renovated with electric lights, new
elevators, telephones, and steam heat, at a cost of $75,000. Numerous smaller
scale renovations occurred over the following decades, but the Windsor never regained
her full, Victorian-era glory. In the 1930's the property was again sold. This
time to Mr. Howard Dayton, of Daytona Beach, Florida. Mr. Dayton owned a number
of hotels in Florida and South Georgia and kept the Windsor in operation for
another four decades. Finally, in August, 1974, having operated for some time
as apartments, the hotel closed her doors after 82 years.
What’s in a name?
Originally,
the founders had decided on "The Alhambra," as a name that would lend
an international flavor to the resort. However, this struck a discordant note
in the community. Consequently, the hotel was named for John Windsor. As one of
the leading capitalists in Americus and one of the ten incorporates of the new
resort hotel, it seemed fitting to use the Windsor name. The community agreed
that "The Windsor" was more suggestive of those aristocratic
qualities to which Americus aspired.
John T. Windsor, 1847-1930
John T. Windsor was born April 24, 1847, on a farm in Webster county, one of 13 children to Alexander and Harriet Terry Windsor. He later attributed growing up in such an environment to developing the habits of industry and economy that made him a successful capitalist.
The road from farm boy to financier was a fairly smooth one. As a 17-year-old Webster Countian, John Windsor joined the Confederate army as a private in Company F, Third Georgia Reserves, was quickly promoted to commisionary sergeant and served in that capacity until the end of the war.
In the summer of 1866 he moved to Americus and joined the Bethel Baptist Church (now First Baptist Church) on August 31st of that year. He would remain a valued member of that congregation for more than four decades.
John T. Windsor’s business career began as a clerk in the dry goods store of Jowers and Usry. Then, in the late 1860s, he and Robert T. Byrd, under the firm name Byrd and Windsor, briefly ran a dry goods emporium in the building constructed by the former partner in 1867 and still standing at the northwest corner of Jackson and
On April 24, 1870, John Windsor married Emily Amelia Lester, daughter of Alfred J. and Amelia Barlow Lester. The entire family resided on a farm located on the southeast corner of Rees Park. The home became the younger couple’s inheritance upon the death of A.J. Lester in 1874 and survives to this day as Aldridge Funeral Services.
Within three years he acquired control of Dr. William W. Barlow’s considerable estate, as the nephew by marriage. In 1880, John Windsor was elected cashier of the Bank of Americus and held that position for six years, steadily building his reputation for financial acumen. He then parlayed that reputation into the presidency of the new Peoples National Bank midway between Jackson and Forrest Streets. After a year, he resigned to accept the position of cashier, so as to be in more active control of its business. Under his leadership it was regarded as one of the soundest financial institutions in Georgia. It was remarked that at no time in his life had he owed an amount he could not cash.
Whatever happened to John T. Windsor? During the first decade of the twentieth century, the Windsors left Americus to move to Havana, Cuba. Eventually they settled in Winter Haven, Florida, where John Windsor died and was buried on April 20, 1930, several months after his beloved Amelia had passed away.
1986: A New Beginning
As
mentioned earlier the Windsor Development Corporation was formed in 1986 by
present day local visionaries and nearly $6 million dollars was spent to
restore the original Victorian features of the hotel and add all the modern
conveniences. The process of major restoration began in October of 1990 and the
hotel reopened on September 20, 1991.
All
the wood in the lobby is golden oak which had darkened considerably over a
99-year period. To restore the original color, the wood was cleaned with
acetone and rubbed with tung oil. The two chandeliers are not original but are
circa 1890. The rug was handmade in Thailand. The design of the rug was
computer-generated and inspired by an original 1890s ceiling paper. The mirror
on the back wall of the lobby dates back to before the Civil War, and was
donated by Harriet Rylander Ansley. The marble on the lobby floor is the original
and was removed during restoration, cleaned, and then replaced piece by piece.
During restoration the ceiling medallion, located in the lobby, crashed into
the basement and a new one was constructed from fiberglass. The framed photo of
John and Amelia Windsor just outside the front desk was a gift from Bob
Windsor, a descendent of the hotel’s namesake. The mahogany phone booth,
original to the Windsor, was donated by Mrs. Bessie Mae Carter in memory of her
husband.
Side View
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