The Blair Hotel
By Noah Emery and Jack Triglianos
Embedded Files
Introduction
Introduction
The Blair Hotel in Pittsboro, North Carolina was built in 1917 by George Walker Blair and is located along Hillsboro Street next to the Chatham County Historic Courthouse. The hotel had rooms for staying on the top floor and storefronts on the bottom floor, along with a balcony overlooking Main Street out front. The hotel was the first of its kind in that area because it had running water and electricity [1].
Picture of the Blair Hotel circa 1960s.
Courtesy of the Chatham Historical Museum.
George Walker Blair
1917 photo of the George Walker Blair family, including wife Audrey and their two children.
Courtesy of the Pittsboro Herald.
George Walker Blair (1886-1964) built the Blair Hotel in 1917 after moving to Pittsboro in 1911. He was a livestock dealer, horse trader, and well-established member of the Piedmont business community. Blair decided to build the hotel on the site of the old Central Hotel that burned down around 1915. George Walker Blair built the hotel simply because he thought Pittsboro, as the county seat of Chatham County, needed one [2]. Blair was married to Aubrey Womble, and they had five children [3]. During the early years of the hotel, Blair and his young wife even lived in the hotel themselves [4]. Later in life, Blair served as the sheriff of Chatham County, from 1920 to 1932 [5].
History
Over the years, the Blair Hotel has been used for a variety of purposes. Even before the hotel was opened, it was used by World War I troops that had been recently recruited and were on their way to war [6]. The hotel had a number of businesses on its first floor in its more than 100 years of operation. Some of the stores it has had include Halls Department Store, Pickards Barbershop, and a reading and writing room for its guests. The hotel originally had a restaurant in the section that is now Ellis Law firm [7].
1924 newspaper advertisement of a barbershop located in the Blair Hotel.
Courtesy of the Chatham Record.
The hotel had impressive facilities such as hot and cold water, toilets, steam baths, and electric lights. There are no existing official records of the guests that stayed here, but it is thought that many of the lawyers who did not live in the area came to stay the night and visit the dining room [8]. According to a 1962 interview with a woman considered to be the “last guest at the Blair Hotel,” Mrs. Addie Dark, the clientele at the hotel had changed over her many decades spent there. She was quoted as saying: “In the old days the guests were more permanent borders-girls who worked at the courthouse, retired people, etc. In the 60s [guests] were mostly passing through for a night-salesmen, patients at the Mathiesen Clinic, etc.” [9].
1920 Siler City Grit newspaper article about the sale of the Blair Hotel.
Courtesy of the Chatham Historical Museum.
Eventually, the Blairs sold their hotel; Mrs. Aubrey Blair said they “sold the hotel once they felt they had accomplished their purpose i.e., to establish a good hotel in Pittsboro” [10]. The Blair Hotel building has had a number of owners over the years. Sometime during its history, the hotel was auctioned off to the highest bidder; however, the hotel was split between multiple owners because no one was willing or able to pay enough money to buy the entire building. Eventually, the hotel portion of the building was closed as it became out of date, out of repair, and would have been expensive to fix. The majority of the building is owned by Barber Holmes, who acquired half in 2014 and the remainder in 2019. The current retail store, Studio 17, is owned by Welford Harris [11].
Architecture
The Blair Hotel is a two-story brick building set up in a stretcher bond. It is an unusually early example of the Mission style in North Carolina, featuring open balconies, hipped roofs covered in tile, and smooth-plastered walls, all features relating to California architecture. The facade is made up of nine bays, which are filled with paired one-over-one sash windows at the second-floor level. “This design foreshadowed the later use of California-style architecture, such as the bungalow style, in Pittsboro’s residential buildings” [12]. Since 1983, the balcony has been closed in and converted to office space.
Aerial view of the Blair Hotel. Courtesy of Google Earth.
When applying for the Pittsboro Historic District to be recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, the hotel was deemed to be “the most significant commercial architectural landmark in the district” [13]. The building has gone through several renovations over the years; however, it retains its old layout, tin roof shingles, brick, and most of its windows and doors. The original flat-top roof section of the building was tin but was replaced in 2020 to maintain its function [14].
Legacy
The legacy left behind by the Blair Hotel will forever be remembered in Pittsboro, as well as Chatham County as a whole. The hotel brought an up-to-date and “fancy” place one could stay if coming into town for politics or to visit the nearby clinic. Over the years, the Blair Hotel has continued to serve Pittsboro as a hotel, office, and store [15]. Because the hotel has retained some of the original building from 1917, it gives an insight into the architecture of the early 20th century [16]. The hotel remains an important piece of the history of Pittsboro, along with the Historic Courthouse across the circle and Mathiesen Clinic across West street.
Picture of the Blair Hotel in the present day.
Courtesy of the Chatham Journal.
The Blair Hotel is also home to the Pittsboro Mural Project that took place in 2008. This project was initiated to show the creative minds of the people of Chatham County. The mural depicts people having fun and enjoying themselves near the Haw River [17]. The Blair Hotel is an essential part of main street Pittsboro, and along with its counterparts, shows the history of a place many call home.
Sources Cited
Sources Cited
Chatham Historical Museum, “The Blair Hotel Info,” Facebook, February 15, 2021. https://www.facebook.com/ChathamCountyHistoricalMuseum/posts/4203675166333403.
Ibid.
“George Walker Blair Sr.,” FamilySearch.org, accessed March 24, 2022. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M7VK-R7R/george-walker-blair-sr-1886-1964.
Rachel Osborn and Ruth Selden-Sturgill, The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, North Carolina (Charlotte, NC: The Delmar Company, 1991), 91.
“Sheriff’s Office History,” Chatham County Sheriff’s Office. https://sites.google.com/view/chathamcountysheriffnc/about-our-organization/CCSO-history.
Osborn and Selden-Sturgill, The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, 90-91.
Barber Holmes, interviewed by Noah Emery and Jack Triglianos, Siler City, February 28, 2022.
Ibid.
"The Last Guest at the Blair Hotel," The Pittsboro Herald, April 3, 1974.
Ibid.
Barber Holmes, interviewed by Noah Emery and Jack Triglianos, Siler City, February 28, 2022.
Osborn and Selden-Sturgill, The Architectural Heritage of Chatham County, 90.
"NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES REGISTRATION FORM: Pittsboro Historic District." https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/CH0704.pdf.
Barber Holmes, interviewed by Noah Emery and Jack Triglianos, Siler City, February 28, 2022.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Spencie Love, “Local artists complete mural on former Blair Hotel building,” The Chatham Record, May 29, 2008. https://www.newspapers.com/image/635297899.
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