For 25th Anniversary, 24 Properties Join Historic Hotels of America (VIDEO)

2014 marks the 25th anniversary of Historic Hotels of America, and during that time the organization has added 24 hotels to its membership across 14 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. 

To celebrate the anniversary, the organization has released a video highlighting its history: 

The oldest new member hotel dates to 1625. Six of the hotels were adapted from a previous use, including a former bank and courthouse. Of the 24 new members, five have reported hauntings from friendly ghosts. 

Historic Hotels of America is the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating historic hotels.

To be nominated and selected for membership into this prestigious program, a hotel must be at least 50 years old; has been designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark or listed in or eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places; and recognized as having historic significance.

Here is the list of inductees for 2014:

  • Le Méridien Tampa (1905) Tampa, Florida Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, converted to a hotel from a century-old federal courthouse
  • Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu (1961) Waikiki Beach, Hawaii 
  • The Drake Hotel (1920) Chicago, Illinois Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
  • Hilton Chicago (1927) Chicago, Illinois 
  • Hilton Orrington/Evanston (1927) Evanston, Illinois 
  • Seelbach Hilton (1905) Louisville, Kentucky, listed in the National Register of Historic Places
  • Hilton Baton Rouge Capitol Center (1927) Baton Rouge, Louisiana 
  • Hilton New Orleans/St. Charles Avenue (1926) New Orleans, Louisiana 
  • Southern Hotel (1907) Covington, Louisiana, converted from the Grand Lodge of Louisiana’s Masonic Temple
  • The Westin Portland Harborview (1927) Portland, Maine 
  • Hilton Boston Downtown/Faneuil Hall (1928) Boston, Massachusetts, converted from Boston’s first Art Deco skyscraper office building
  • Hilton President Kansas City (1926) Kansas City, Missouri
  • Hilton St. Louis Downtown at the Arch (1888) St. Louis, Missouri, converted from the former Merchant Laclède National Bank and office building.
  • Hilton Santa Fe Historic Plaza (1625) Santa Fe, New Mexico, converted from a 300-year-old hacienda
  • Hilton Manhattan East (1931) New York, New York
  • Chateau at the Oregon Caves National Monument (1935) Cave Junction, Oregon, designated by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior as a National Historic Landmark 
  • Abraham Lincoln Reading Hotel (1930) Reading, Pennsylvania 
  • Caribe Hilton San Juan (1949) San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • The Condado Plaza Hilton (1963) San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Condado Vanderbilt Hotel (1919) San Juan, Puerto Rico
  • Hilton Fort Worth (1921) Fort Worth, Texas
  • Airlie (1892) Warrenton, Virginia, converted from a farm 
  • Capital Hilton (1943) Washington, DC 
  • The Edgewater (1948) Madison, Wisconsin 

"Each hotel represents a unique aspect of the heritage, history, and culture of the United States of America including one from more than 150 years prior to 1776," said Lawrence Horwitz, executive director of Historic Hotels of America and Historic Hotels Worldwide.