Nacogdoches History

Hotel Fredonia, 1955

The Dream

On August 18, 1952 some 75 citizens of Nacogdoches voted unanimously on a dream- to build a place for the “convenience of guests and travelers” to their city. Less than one month later, the hotel campaign had 136 fundraising workers and 41 members on the executive committee, each of whom had to purchase stock before working on the campaign. By December 6th, 1952, the citizens of Nacogdoches, population 13,000 had raised their goal of $500,000. A corporate charter for “The Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation” was obtained in March, listing 1,126 community stockholders.

In April 1953, a hotel-naming contest was held, and the board of directors heard more than 300 suggestions. The winning name, “Hotel Fredonia,” was selected for being “distinctive, euphonious and easily remembered.” Fredonia originated from the root word “free” or “freedom” reflecting the spirit that made the hotel possible.

The groundbreaking ceremonies were held May 3, 1954. The grand opening of the Hotel Fredonia was held on April 1, 1955. An estimated 6,000 guests attended. The following night, the first banquet was held in the ballroom for 300 guests of the Nacogdoches Hotel Corporation.

On April 2, 1956, the Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation hosted a one-year birthday party for the hotel. A new addition, the 30-room Oak Terrace unit, was completed a few years later.

The Struggle

In 1956, manager Herbert Wilson reported that the occupancy rates were down slightly, attributing the decline to the construction of newer, more modern motels in neighboring towns.

By the end of the 1960's, after years of declining revenues and a lack of reinvestment to keep it updated and competitive, the Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation was in debt. The board recommended selling the hotel to avoid foreclosure.

Over the next decade, ownership of the hotel bounced through a series of out-of-town companies and investors before the doors closed in 1985. The facility remained closed for four years.

The Rebuilding

In the interim, Mayor A.L. Mangham Jr. began gathering community leaders to explore reopening the hotel. Initially, the Fredonia Corporation planned to spend $4.2 million to renovate the building. That price tag soon escalated to $7.5 million.

About 25 percent of the funds required to begin the renovation came from the community. Fifty local stockholders, many following in their families' footsteps, invested in restoring the Hotel. A partnership between the private sector and local, state and federal governments led to the restoration of the hotel and construction of its accompanying convention center in the late 1980's.

Mayor Judy McDonald, city manager Jarvis Ammons and the city's grant writer, Gary Traylor worked hard to win the support of U.S. Senator Phil Gramm, whose assistance was instrumental in obtaining the remaining funding through a Department of Urban Development Administration Grant. UDAG grants, which normally went to urban cities, had never been granted to a rural area.

“This is an entity that is going to bring jobs, growth and opportunity to Nacogdoches and East Texas,” Gramm said during the May 21, 1989 ceremony celebrating the reopening of the newly remodeled and renamed “Fredonia Hotel.” “This is a landmark of Nacogdoches, a historic city that cares about its past.”

The Dream continues

Susan Pack Reents purchased the hotel on June 16, 2008. She and her new management team brought excitement and an eagerness to succeed into the hotel. For a week in July, Reents closed the hotel for extensive refreshing. She also changed the name back to the original “Hotel Fredonia.”

Excellent customer service has always been on the top of the list for Reents and her team. Striving every day to make the Hotel Fredonia better than the last has made the hotel stand out in the minds of locals and out of town guests.