The Read House Hotel

• 1. Origins And Civil War Era

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  The Crutchfield House opened its doors in 1847 across from the Union Depot. Thomas Crutchfield Sr., a future mayor of Chattanooga, built this first hotel on the site. Railways brought constant business and imports to the town, allowing the establishment to prosper. Thomas Crutchfield Sr. died in 1850, passing control to his son, Thomas Crutchfield Jr. Jefferson Davis stayed at the Crutchfield House on the 21st of January 1861. He was traveling home to Mississippi after resigning from the United States Senate. Davis delivered a speech in favor of secession within the hotel's dining room. Future congressman William Crutchfield responded with a fiery denunciation of Davis as a traitor. The argument grew so heated that a duel nearly resulted between the two men. In 1862, Confederate General Samuel Jones converted the building into a military hospital. Union forces occupied Chattanooga on the 9th of September 1863. The 92nd Illinois Infantry Regiment placed their colors atop the hotel to signal control. The structure later served as a hospital for soldiers wounded at the Battle of Chickamauga. The original building caught fire and burned down in 1867.

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• 2. The Read Family And Expansion

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  Civil War surgeon John T. Read moved to Chattanooga in 1871 with his wife Caroline. They purchased a three-story office building constructed on the site of the former Crutchfield House. Read converted this structure into a 45-room hotel known as the Read House Hotel. It opened its doors on New Year's Day 1872. John T. Read sold the property to his son Samuel R. Read in 1879. Samuel was only nineteen years old when he took over operations. He expanded the facility significantly over the next few decades. By 1902, the hotel had grown to contain 202 rooms. This expansion transformed the modest start-up into a major regional destination. The family maintained ownership through these early growth phases before facing new challenges.

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• 3. Modern Architecture And Construction

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  In 1925, the majority of the original structure was torn down to make way for something grander. A Chicago firm named Holabird & Roche designed the replacement building. George A. Fuller Construction Company of Washington, D.C., handled the actual construction work. The project cost $2.7 million and resulted in a ten-story Georgian-style edifice. The new wing contained 280 rooms while keeping portions of the old structure operational during the build. The hotel officially opened on the 5th of July 1926. Samuel R. Read died in 1942 after leading the business for many years. Albert Noe Jr. purchased the hotel from the Read estate in 1943. Noe's son Albert III assumed control four years later. In 1962, Noe added a six-story motel wing with an underground garage and outdoor pool. This rear addition became known as the Manor wing to appeal to travelers using the Interstate Highway System.

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• 4. Ownership Transitions And Branding

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  The hotel changed hands multiple times throughout the twentieth century. In 1978, owners of the nearby Chattanooga Choo-Choo Hotel acquired the property. They renamed it the Choo-Choo Read House and added a nightclub called the Grand Central Station Disco. That disco remained in business until 1980. Soon after, the establishment became a Best Western franchise under the name Best Western Choo-Choo Read House. Radisson Hotels assumed management in 1986, changing the name to Radisson Read House. An $11 million renovation occurred in 2004 before Sheraton Hotels took over operations. The facility reopened as the Sheraton Read House on the 18th of November 2004. Sheraton dropped its affiliation in 2015, leaving the property as The Read House Historic Inn & Suites. Avocet Hospitality Group of Charleston, South Carolina, purchased the hotel on the 30th of August 2016. A $27 million renovation moved the main entrance from Broad Street back to Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. The hotel finally reopened in 2018 simply as The Read House. It celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2022.

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• 5. Presidential And Celebrity Guests

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  The Read House has hosted numerous presidents including Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William McKinley, Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. Entertainment figures such as Edwin Booth, Gene Autry, Elvis Presley, Oprah Winfrey, Gary Cooper, Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby, Walt Disney, and Bob Hope also stayed there. Al Capone resided in Room 311 during his federal trial in the early twentieth century. Custom iron bars were added to the windows of that specific room for security. These bars remain installed to this day despite the passage of decades. The presence of such high-profile individuals cemented the building's reputation as a premier destination. Their stays spanned over a century of American history.

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• 6. Room 311 And Paranormal Legends

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  Many believe the spirit of Annalisa Netherly haunts Room 311 within the hotel. Legends suggest she was a prostitute active in Chattanooga during the 1920s and 1930s. She supposedly resided in that room for an extended period before dying inside it. One story claims she was found soaking in a tub with her head almost completely decapitated by a jealous lover. Another version suggests she took her own life after a broken heart caused by a cheating suitor. Guests who stay in Room 311 report varying levels of paranormal activity. Some including Al Capone have passed through without incident while others find the atmosphere heavy. Reports indicate the spirit particularly dislikes men who smoke. Physical modifications like the custom iron bars on the windows serve as reminders of these stories.

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