The once-grand Greystone, at 100 Commerce Street, was built in 1928. It was constructed as the Armstrong Hotel, or Cherokee Hotel, but was damaged by a fire in 1921 and sold off to become the Greystone. The 10-story classical structure was once nominated for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, and it is the result of the last collaboration between architect Frank Lockwood and builder Algenon Blair. After Commerce Street died, the poor building suffered divergent uses ranging from derelict residence to bank/office complex. Now with the resurgence of the Riverfront zone, the old hotel has reemerged as a Hampton Inn. I’ll bet the ol’ thing is chuckling to itself; the once grander Gay-Teague, Exchange, Whitley and Jeff Davis hotels are no more, but the Greystone lives on.

1964 Greystone Hotel. Courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives and History.

-Charles Humphries