The original O.Henry Hotel was built in downtown Greensboro in 1919 at the southwest corner of Bellemeade and North Elm Streets. The first of the city’s modern hotels, the O.Henry was built as a community project through local stock subscriptions, with Clement G. Wright as leader. It occupied Wright’s old homesite and that of his grandfather, Jesse H. Lindsay, one of Greensboro’s very first citizens.
The hotel was an immediate success! Within six weeks after opening, it could not accommodate all the guests. An adjoining tobacco warehouse was converted into an annex to take care of the overflow. Having 300 rooms, the O.Henry was one of the largest and finest hotels in the state for many decades.
As interstates were built and the city grew away from the downtown area, business declined and the hotel closed in the 60s. The original O.Henry Hotel was razed in 1979. Read more about our namesake, O.Henry.
