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Crews began working to clear debris from the site of Richmond's historic International Hotel this week, more than three months after a fire ripped through the already charred remains of the building, which was left heavily damaged by a previous fire in April of 2023.
The burnt structure's framework was red-tagged immediately after the first fire, but city records show plans for demolition and debris removal stalled out, and within weeks, garbage began piling up around the property, with reports by neighbors of people camping there.
On Tuesday, crews braved the rain and wind to begin removing scoops of debris and piles of garbage with the aid of heavy equipment — a sad end to the storied hotel at 396 South Street, once one of Richmond's historic resources, a designation former mayor Tom Butt worked to secure.
The property was owned by the late Ethel Dotson, who advocated for preserving Richmond's history and sought to have the hotel listed as a landmark, with the goal of one day restoring it.
Dotson passed away in 2007, and her family retained the property. Butt, who worked with the Dotson family to try to find a way to preserve the property, previously told Grandview that a restoration project would have been expensive.
"I have been working with the Dotson family members, most recently Jelani Dotson, for years, trying to find a way to save and rehabilitate it," Butt said. "I facilitated getting it listed on the Richmond Register of Historic Resources to make it more eligible for grants and tax benefits. The problem, however, has always been money. Rehabilitating the structure would probably be about a $1.5 to $2 million project."
It is unknown what lies ahead for the property once the debris is cleared, or whether there are any plans to commemorate it.
Update: Richmond’s historic International Hotel, red tagged after fire
The historic International Hotel, where the Pullman Brotherhood of Black Sleeping Car Porters Union members would stay during Richmond’s early years, was reduced to burnt framework and ash early Monday morning after a fire sped through it, destroying the 108-year-old historic building. Now red-tagged, along with neighboring structures, the historic
Linda Hemmila
Fire destroys what remained of Richmond’s historic International Hotel
What was left of Richmond’s historic International Hotel turned to ashes late Tuesday afternoon, after its already charred framework had been left sitting amid garbage and rubble for more than two years following a 2023 fire. Richmond Deputy Fire Chief Rico Rincon said firefighters responded just before 5 p.m.
Linda Hemmila
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