Franklin Hotel

National Register Listing

Street Address:

185 E. Main St., Spartanburg, SC (Spartanburg County)

Alternate Name:

Finch Hotel

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NRHP Nomination

Record Number:

S10817742998

Description and Narrative:

The Franklin Hotel is significant both in local history and architecture. Built by W.T. Finch, a local businessman and meat market operator, this building became a leading hotel of the community and shows the influence of both the Commercial and Neo-Classical styles of the early twentieth century. The hotel was built during a period of expansion and prosperity for Spartanburg. The Franklin Hotel is a steel frame, high rise building of six stories with a masonry exterior. The main façade is dominated by a large two-story portico supported by Doric columns and features an entablature with triglyphs and metopes and a stepped parapet. The columns are fluted and sheathed with glazed terracotta tiles. The arched entryway is composed of terracotta tiles with a keystone. The fanlight contains multi-colored stained glass with the letter “F” placed in the center of the glass arrangement. The second story features a central doorway which opens onto an exterior balcony with an iron railing. The upper four stories are symmetrical in their fenestration and decorative elements. The building has a flat roof with simple brick corbelling at the roofline. Listed in the National Register July 28, 1983. The Franklin Hotel has since been demolished. Removed from the National Register March 15, 2000.

Period of Significance:

1919 – 1920

Level of Significance:

Local

Area of Significance:

Architecture;Other

National Register Determination:

removed from National Register

Date of Certification:

July 28 1983

Date of Removal from the Register:

March 15 2000

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