Latchis Hotel and Theatre

Latchis Hotel and Theatre

The Latchis Hotel and Theatre (originally the Latchis Memorial Building) is an art deco building in Brattleboro, Vermont, first built in 1938.[1] The building is one of only two extant Art Deco buildings in Vermont.[2] The building is run by the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, a local non-profit.[1][3]

The building was constructed as a memorial to Demetrius P. Latchis, a Greek immigrant who became an important businessman in Brattleboro, by his sons.[1][4] Latchis had built a business which ran fourteen theatres throughout New England.[5] The interior include murals and other artwork with Greek mythology,[1] which was created by Hungarian muralist Louis Jambor.[3] The building also includes terrazzo flooring.[6] The building was designed so that it could include a hotel, theatre, ballroom, restaurant, bar, and other business spaces.[3] The architect for the building was S. Wesley Haynes.[7]

Though a successful business through the 60s, the business slumped in the 70s.[3] In 1985, two children of the original brothers revitalized the hotel.[3] They sold the hotel in 2003 to a local non-profit, the Brattleboro Arts Initiative, created for maintaining the building, bought the hotel for 1.3 million dollars.[3] The money included both local and federal grants.[3] The building suffered considerable damage in 2011, during Hurricane Irene, but was reopened later that year.[8] The building was further restored in 2013, after a half-million dollar fundraising campaign.[1]

References

1. "A new look for the heavens and the earth". Vermont Arts and Living. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
2. Berman, Eleanor (2010-07-01). DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: New England. Penguin. p. 320. ISBN 9780756666729.
3. Roessler, Mark (2009-06-11). "The Latchis: Artfully Sustained". Valley Advocate. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
4. "Helena Leschuk greets hotel guests with warmth". The Bennington Banner. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
5. Wilson, Robert (2008-10-14). Vermont Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 22. ISBN 9781461747246.
6. "History Lesson: The Latchis Family & The Theater Empire They Built. - Latchis Hotel". Latchis Hotel. 2016-08-24. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
7. Naylor, David. Great American Movie Theaters. 1987.
8. Stilts, Josh. "A dried out Latchis Hotel and Theater will reopen". The Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved 2017-05-10.

Further reading

• Gordon., Hayward (2016-01-01). Greek epic : the Latchis family & the New England theater empire they built. Latchis Arts, Inc. ISBN 9780692746226. OCLC 964074735.

42°51′05″N 72°33′28″W