Jack Tar Hotels was an internationalhotel chain based in the United States.
The chain began with a single motel inGalveston, Texas, overlooking theGulf of Mexico, built in 1940 by W. L. Moody III, the chairman of Affiliated National Hotels. The “Jack Tar” name (a slang term for a sailor) was chosen as the result of a naming contest. In 1949, the facility was renovated by architectThomas M. Price, who established an office in Galveston after World War II. Price graduated from theHarvard Graduate School of Design, studying underWalter Gropius andMarcel Breuer. This property was purchased in 1952 by Dallas insurance executive Charles Sammons, who acquired the rights to the Jack Tar name and launched an expansion project, opening several properties nationwide.[1] These properties were known for their modernistcurtain wall architecture with most designed by Price.
In 1997, the Jack Tar properties were sold to Allegro.[2][3][4] The sale included ownership of a resort and casino inPuerto Plata, Dominican Republic, and assumption of two leases for resorts inMontego Bay, Jamaica, andCancun, Mexico. Allegro also acquired management contracts for two resorts inGuanacaste Province, Costa Rica, and a marketing and franchise agreement for aSt. Kitts resort."[5][6]
A 400-room Jack Tar Hotel inSan Francisco occupied a full city block at the intersection ofGeary Boulevard andVan Ness Avenue. When built in 1960, it was considered one of the most luxurious hotels in the city, although it was criticized byHerb Caen and others for its modern architecture, which they considered ugly (modernist architecture did not come to dominate downtown San Francisco until the 1970s). Part of the movieThe Conversation takes place there.
Pentecostal evangelistA.A. Allen died at this hotel in 1970.[7]In 1973, the jury in the trial ofRuchell Magee was sequestered at the Jack Tar Hotel.[8] In 1982, after major renovations, it became the Cathedral Hill Hotel. A major fire occurred in December 1983, causing the hotel to rebuild again. The hotel finally closed on October 30, 2009 and was demolished in November 2013 to make way for an expansion ofCalifornia Pacific Medical Center.[9][10]
There once was a Jack Tar Hotel inClearwater, Florida.Tommy John, who stayed there in 1961, described it as "then one of the classiest hotels on Florida's west coast."[11]
The former Jack Tar Motor Lodge inDurham,North Carolina was renovated and reopened as the first property in the Dream Hotel Group's newUnscripted Hotels brand. The renovated hotel has 74 rooms, a pool deck on the third floor, and restaurants on the ground floor. Unscripted Durham opened July 20, 2017.[12][13]
There was a 225-room Jack Tar Hotel inGalveston, Texas, as described above. It was located at the intersection of Seawall Boulevard and Broadway.
There was a Jack Tar Hotel inOrange, Texas on the corner of N 5th Street and W Division Ave in downtown. The popular hotel, built in the 1950s, featured a barbershop, ballroom, stores and a restaurant famous for its prime rib. Behind the building was a garden terrace area with shaded tables and a swimming pool. The Orange location was also base of operations for water events such as the Aqua Demons and Debs ski shows in the 1950s. The hotel eventually became home to a number of retirement centers, the last of which closed in 2006. The building was demolished in 2011.[14]
Originally opened in 1926 as the Hotel Olds, built and operated by the Lansing Community Hotel Corporation which included R.E. Olds, the Jack Tar hotel chain purchased the property at 111 South Capitol Avenue in 1960 and renamed it "Jack Tar Lansing." In 1970, the hotel was renamed the Olds Plaza following a sale to an Alma, Michigan oil businessman and subsequent renovation. In 1974, however, a different Alma-based layer and entrepreneur purchased the property and renamed it again to The Plaza Hotel. Some of the hotel was converted to offices and meeting space was reduced. It became part of theTravelLodge chain in 1983 when the number of hotel rooms was at 100, down from 400 at its peak. The now-debt-ridden hotel was foreclosed on in 1985, long-term residents were evicted and the hotel closed. The building was sold to the State of Michigan in 1988, completely gutted and renovated by Hobbs & Black Associates into state offices as theGeorge W. Romney Building and now houses the Office of the Governor and other state offices.
There was a Jack Tar Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina. It was originally called "Poinsett Hotel" and was changed to "Jack Tar Poinsett" when it became part of the chain.[citation needed]
