8. The KIMBALL HOUSE,
33 Pryor St., SW., a large stone-trimmed
brick hotel extending the entire breadth of the block between Decatur
Street and the railway viaduct, is an arresting landmark of old
Atlanta. A rambling edifice of 440 rooms built at a cost of $650,000 in
1885, the Kimball House was once the largest hotel in the South and a
symbol of Atlanta's hospitality. Its turrets, vari-shaped windows, and
flat Saracenic ornamentation are characteristic of this lavish, ornate
decade when prosperity was first beginning to return to war-ravaged
Atlanta.
In the marble lobby is an old silver water cooler and a table which
survived the burning of the former Kimball House. Rising to the top
floor is an open banistered well, an architectural feature
characteristic of many buildings erected in the past century but now
almost obsolete. Much of the woodwork is of solid mahogany, and its
dark rich tone lends an impressive dignity that is heightened in some
of the rooms by stained-glass windows. Several public halls contain
elaborate chandeliers—one with more than 50,000 pieces of cut
glass—and have beautiful inlaid floors. A brick fireplace with an
enormous mahogany mantel extends almost the entire width of the
ballroom.
In recent years a few interior and exterior details have been
altered, but in all essential respects the hotel appears as it was when
first opened. The "Presidential Suite" has been maintained almost as it
was when occupied by Presidents Cleveland and McKinley. Old registers
show the names of other distinguished visitors who have enjoyed the
hospitality of the Kimball House, and for many years this hotel
provided the background for the most important social and public
gatherings of the city.
Since 1846 this site has been used for inns. In that year Dr. Joseph
Thompson erected on the lot the town's first real hotel—a
two-story brick structure—and named it the Atlanta Hotel. The
building stood diagonally across the street from the railroad depot and
quite naturally attracted every visitor to the city. President Millard
Fillmore was a guest here in 1856. The Atlanta Hotel was destroyed in
1864 by General Sherman before he left the city to begin his march to
the sea.
During Reconstruction Atlanta's quick expansion attracted the
attention of many Northern capitalists. One of these was H.I. Kimball,
a native of Maine who had made his fortune as an associate of George M.
Pullman, the railway car magnate, in Chicago. Kimball came to Atlanta
in 1868. A born opportunist, he quickly became the city's leading
financial figure. As a promoter, real estate operator, financier, and
semiofficial agent of the notorious post-war Governor Bullock, Kimball
had interests so extremely complicated by apparently conflicting
motives of philanthropy and personal profit that it was difficult to
judge his aims.
He was quick to urge the legislature to move the seat of State
administration from Milledgeville to Atlanta, and, when the move was
made, was equally quick to sell the State his newly erected opera house
for a capitol. He led the movement to convert the central city park
into a business block, arguing that the sale of the lot and the tax on
improvements would swell the municipal treasury. When the opposition
gave in, he bought the park area himself and began the construction of
business houses. In the meantime he bought the Atlanta Hotel site,
planning to erect a new hotel, and immediately set about agitating for
the construction of a new Union Depot which would be a credit to the
city and which, incidentally, would be located across the street from
his proposed hotel. In addition to these activities, Kimball found time
to promote seven railroads in various parts of the State. His
philanthropies were many and he contributed large sums to educational
and charitable institutions.
In 1870 he opened the first Kimball House, a magnificent $500,000
six-story brick structure which at that time was the largest hotel in
the South. Dominating the city's skyline, the Kimball House soon became
to many a synonym for Atlanta. The hotel was particularly favored by
the members of the Georgia legislature who gathered in its rooms for
informal night sessions, and it was commonly said that more bills were
really passed in the Kimball House than in the State capitol a few
blocks away.
But the tide of Kimball's fortunes turned. He lost controlling
interest in the hotel even before it opened and, in 1872, because of
over-expansion and a growing Nation-wide depression, the rest of his
Southern financial empire collapsed. Virtually bankrupt and in failing
health, he returned to Chicago, the scene of his early successes, but
here he met another disaster in the great fire that swept the city and
destroyed his property holdings.
Businessmen of Georgia and the South, who had lost money in the
Kimball ventures, arose to accuse him of the illegal manipulation of
State and privately owned bonds. Kimball's background, political
affiliations, and financial associates, all of which had been
overlookedso long as his enterprises paid large dividends, now were made added points of condemnation.
Suddenly in 1874, with his health restored and at least part of his
fortunes regained, Kimball reappeared in Atlanta to defend himself. At
his request Governor James Milton Smith appointed Judge Linton Stephens
to investigate his activities. The judge cleared Kimball, and a grand
jury, convened to sit on the case, refused to indict him although
several of his business associates were brought to trial. A vindication
ball planned in Kimball's honor by leading Atlanta citizens was called
off when he refused to attend, stating that he could not accept any
public demonstration of trust and respect until the people of Georgia
were entirely convinced of his innocence. Inasmuch as there had been no
legal indictments made, there was no possible legal redress or
vindication.
Time, however, did what his friends and the processes of law could
not do. So great was his personal magnetism and executive ability that
within a few years Kimball was again directing civic enterprises. He
purchased Oglethorpe Park as a fair ground for the city and got himself
appointed director general of the International Cotton Exposition which
was held there in 1881. He established the annual North Georgia Fair on
this same site, organized the Atlanta Cotton Factory, secured the
International Commercial Convention for the city, and took part in many
other ventures.
At 4:40 on the morning of Augusts 12, 1883, the Kimball House caught
fire and burned to the ground in one of the most spectacular fires in
the city's history. Virtually everyone in town left his bed and rushed
to the scene, standing in dumb horror as the symbol of a city was
destroyed before their eyes. Fortunately no lives were lost nor was
anyone seriously injured, but the sight of the blackened ruins cast a
pall of depression over the city.
Kimball, who was in Chicago at the time of the fire, immediately
returned to Atlanta and organized a stock company to undertake
rebuilding. In this he was successful and the present Kimball House was
opened in 1885. Kimball, completely restored to public favor, made his
home in Atlanta until his death in 1895. 9. The JOEL HURT PARK,
occupying the block bounded by Gilmer and Courtland Sts. and Edgewood
Ave., is a vivid green triangle in this section of high buildings and
crowded traffic. Twenty-one full-grown trees, including live oaks,
magnolias, sugar maples, willows, and water oaks, have been placed
about the grounds, as well as scores of evergreen shrubs. A large
fountain is illuminated at night by a battery of multi-colored lights
that play constantly over the spouts and veils of water. The
combination of changing water patterns and colors—from lilac and
blue to rose—complete their cycle in about 20 minutes.
The site of this city park and a sum of $50,000 were acquired in
1940 in exchange for the old city hall property at Marietta and Forsyth
Streets. The park was constructed with the aid of funds from the Work
Projects Administration and the Hurt Memorial Association. William C.
Pauley landscaped the park as a setting for the Joel Hurt Fountain,
designed by the Atlanta sculptor Julian Harris and presented to the
city by the Emily and Ernest Woodruff Foundation.
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