Adeline Detroit "A. D." Atkinson (; July 30, 1841 – December 11, 1916) was an American

hotelier A hotel manager, hotelier, or lodging manager is a person who manages the operation of a hotel, motel, resort, or other lodging-related establishment. Management of a hotel operation includes, but is not limited to: management of hotel staff, b ...

Early life

Adeline Detroit Wood was born on July 30, 1841, to Sarah Ann (née White) and William Wood in

Bedford County, Virginia Bedford County is a county (United States), United States county located in the Piedmont region of Virginia, Piedmont region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. Its county seat is the town of Bedford, Virginia, Bedford, ...

Personal life

At the age of 19, she married John M. Atkinson. John Atkinson enlisted in the 11th Virginia Infantry Regiment and served with the Confederates in the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. They moved to Lynchburg after he was paroled at the end of the war. Her husband died on November 6, 1894. Together, they had six children, three sons and three daughters. She was known professionally as "A.D. Atkinson".

Career

In the mid-1870's, Atkinson's husband's income as a bricklayer was insufficient to support their growing family, so she took on boarders. By 1881, her business was doing so well that she opened the Warwick House hotel on Main Street in Lynchburg. The Warwick House was a Confederate hospital during the war. As her husband's health declined, they moved to

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

. In 1884, she took over the struggling Saint James Hotel. By 1889, she became the proprietor of the American Hotel, which she renamed the Lexington in 1894. On April 25, 1903, Atkinson sold the Lexington to A. G. Spratley and J. L. Rodwell. As she was selling the Lexington, she purchased the Saint Clair Hotel, at the corner of Ninth and Grace Street in Richmond. She destroyed it and in its place built the Hotel Richmond with a 140-room capacity. Hotel Richmond opened on April 4, 1904, and was successful, competing with the popular Jefferson Hotel. The hotel did so well that in 1912, Atkinson doubled its capacity and its value was estimated to be almost $1 million. She brought her sons in to help manage Hotel Richmond, but remained in charge until her health declined in 1916.

Death

Atkinson died about midnight on the evening of December 11, 1916, at the Hotel Richmond. She is buried at Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond.

Legacy

Hotel Richmond was threatened to be demolished in 2005, but was placed on the

Virginia Landmarks Register The Virginia Landmarks Register (VLR) is a list of historic properties in the Commonwealth of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atla ...

and

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2009. It was restored in 2016.

References