Historic Alexandria: The Hotel Bentley
PLEASE NOTE: This post will be a constant Work In Progress.
Despite its trials and tribulations throughout the past 100 years, the Hotel Bentley is arguably the most important, historic, and architecturally significant structure in the City of Alexandria. During the previous decade, the hotel has been closed more often than it has been open.
Currently, the hotel is owned by Baton Rouge entrepreneur (and Alexandria native) Bob Dean, who closed for business back in December of 2004.
The Hotel Bentley was constructed in 1907 by Joseph Bentley, a native of Pennsylvania who became wealthy in the lumber industry in Central Louisiana. Bentley was an eccentric fellow, and legend has it that the only reason he built the hotel is because he was turned down for a room in the former Ice House Hotel (which was subsequently destroyed by fire).
Bentley was particularly impressed by the Capitol Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, so he tracked down the architect and asked him to design a hotel in Alexandria. Both hotels feature similarly opulent atriums, much like the Peabody in Memphis.
Joseph Bentley at the wheel.
Bentley ensured the hotel could also serve as his personal residence. He carved out a large apartment on one of the top floors and installed a personal elevator; both the apartment and the private elevator remain today.
In or around 1933, Bentley built a massive addition to his hotel, an addition which was constructed by Tudor-Ratcliffe (both families remain in the construction business to this day). It added more than 80 rooms.
During World War II, the United States military trained over a half of a million troops in the Alexandria area, and the commanders of these troops– people like Dwight Eisenhower and George S. Patton– resided for long periods of time at the Hotel Bentley, planning the now-historic Louisiana Maneuvers.
Throughout the 1950s, the hotel continued to flourish, but by the late 1960s, it was struggling. The hotel closed for business for nearly a decade, during which time it allegedly served “other purposes” for select clientèle (if you catch my drift). The owner of the hotel during this period was apparently (subsequently) locked up in jail.
Skip forward to the early 1980s: Buddy Tudor, a local developer, purchased and renovated the shuttered hotel, reopening it after millions of dollars in repairs to national acclaim in 1985. Mr. Tudor remained as owner for nearly 15 years. He sold to a group out of New Orleans, and less than a year later, they sold the hotel to Bob Dean, who retains ownership to this day.
Mr. Dean, to his credit, initially made around a million dollars in upgrades to the hotel, though he kept the hotel open for less than five years.
Today, the hotel remains shuttered.
Fortunately, there are several people throughout the State who understand the wisdom of reopening the Hotel Bentley.
Pictured below: The Mirror Room in the Hotel Bentley
Hi Lamar. Another non-troglodyte Louisiana blogger! Well, I’m glad I found you. I see I’m already on your blogroll. Thanks. I added you to my blog friends.
My husband and I stayed at the Bentley shortly before it closed, when the marvelous religious art exhibit was in Alex a couple of years ago. The exhibit was great! The lobby of the Bentley is magnificent, but our room was only so-so. I hope that someone gets this lovely old hotel going again. It would be a shame to lose it.
We had a tour of Emmanuel Baptist Church with it’s beautiful stained glass. That’s a different kind of Baptist church from those I know. We visited the art gallery in the basement, which even had a nude painting in it. Our tour guide told us that the church was not Southern Baptist. I could tell.
Grandmere Mimi,
I’ve been a fan of your blog for some time now.
Are you referring to the Heart of Spain exhibit?
Regarding the Bentley’s rooms, yes, although the hotel’s lobby and common areas are quite impressive, the rooms are actually quite plain– definitely in need of some updating.
Emmanuel is a great structure, as is St. Francis Xavier next door.
perfect timing! very informative…much obliged -pate
Grandmère,
I’m happy you enjoyed your visit to Emmanuel. I grew up in that church, and after her nest emptied out my mother became a children’s minister there.
It is and is not a Southern Baptist church. By (original) definition, Southern Baptists have enjoyed the covenant of local church autonomy, so each church is allowed to follow the wishes of their congregation. On the other hand, the Southern Baptist Convention has been able to consolidate control over congregations through a number of means in the last thirty years.
Since I was a kid, Emmanuel has grown away from the policies of the Southern Baptist Convention, but as long as there is at least one member of the congregation giving money to the SBC they can claim us as a Southern Baptist church. Many members stipulate that their tithes go to other groups, such as the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship. Baptists churches can be affiliated with as many Conventions or Fellowships as they donate to.
When I was in the youth group, we took a side trip on the way to church camp to visit Disney World. This was in the midst of the SBC boycott of Disney after the creation of Gay Day. In the same trip, we stayed a night in the gym of our youth minister’s home church. Because she is a female minister, that church refused to recognize our presence during the Sunday church service.
I am been proud to have been a part of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Downtown Alexandria. It took me a number of years to recognize why my mother forced us to drive across town each Sunday and Wednesday to be a part of that particular congregation.
Dr. Larry Taylor, who retired relatively recently, was an amazing speaker and a wonderful pastor. He was a student at Central High School in Little Rock during that historic episode of desegregation in the late Fifities. I can remember his wonderful sermons on the importance of laughter in the book of Isaiah. He often gave non-Biblical teachings, too: I recall one about vising Hawthorne’s grave in Concord, and another about the life of Abraham Lincoln.
In churches such as Emmanuel, there are more and more Christians claiming that they are Baptists from the South, not necessarily Southern Baptists. Fortunately, the new pastor of Emmanuel is equally committed to the autonomy of our church, the priesthood of the individual believer, local community support, and the personal spiritual growth of each and every member of the church.
Lamar, yes. Ir was the Heart of Spain exhibit. The room containing the crucifixion paintings took my breath away.
Daniel, Emmanuel seems a lovely church family. I’m pleased that your new pastor is committed to the autonomy of the church. Good for the Baptists who are taking back their church from the extremists.
Thankyou for having this website. Joseph Bentley was my great great uncle, and as a child I have fond memories of visiting the hotel. I was only able to stay there once before it shut down this last time. Thanks for keeping The Bentley alive!!!!
I just wanted to add, I’ve had not only the pleasure of seeing every nook and cranny of this old gem…I worked under Mr. Dean for just over a year, you see I was the front end manager. In my time at the Bentely I grew to understand the importance of her history…to my surprise we were commond by the White House for Presidents Clintons Easter visit, I learned so much more about the beauty and the strength of the Bentley. I fell in love with the idear of her…She is a true treasure in our history.
Blessing unto all,
Ms. Gloria