Alcazar hotel

Alcazar Hotel was built in Spanish Moorish style in 1923, imitating the architectural styles of two hotels in St. Augustine, Florida. Alcazar (translated as "Home in the Fortress") has an irregular pentagon shape, and the central courtyard is centered on a circular fountain, which is a replica of the fountain of St. Augustine Ponce de Leon Hotel. Its amazing interior features a goldfish pond surrounded by a large hexagonal lounge decorated with colorful mosaic tiles. Cleveland architect Harry T. Jeffrey designed the hotel, which took nearly two years to build and cost more than $2 million.

Alcazar Hall is one of the most magnificent residential apartment hotels in Cleveland and one of the earliest such buildings in the suburbs. The hotel owner appealed to wealthy Cleveland people in an advertisement in 1923: "The new Alcazar Hotel provides an economical home for those who want to get rid of housework and servant problems. . . Why keep the house when you can get accommodation like home at a much lower cost? " This hotel attracts not only high-class couples and families, but also celebrities, george gershwin, Jack Benny, cole potter, bob hope and other popular artists. Its restaurants and cocktail lounges attract the city's social elites and visiting VIPs, and its grand ballroom and courtyard are the venues for many weddings and luxury activities.

However, by the end of 1950s, the building had fallen into disrepair, and the big houses in the growing suburbs of this area attracted people who might have lived in Alcazar and other places. 1963, Christian scientists took Alcazar as a member of their faith and bought a nursing home. They quickly opened the hotel to the elderly of all faiths. Today, Alcazar is still mainly where the elderly live, although several suites are used for company housing and frequent guests of the hotel. Special events are still held there, and the building benefits from improved maintenance, which helps to maintain its charm and elegant appeal. It was listed in the national historical sites list in 1979.