The Willcox
Encyclopedia
The Willcox hotel is a hotel established in Aiken, South Carolina
in 1900 by Englishman Frederick Willcox, his Swedish wife Elise Wellborn, and their two sons, Frederick and Albert.
Frederick came to Aiken in the late 1890. He had been a "courier" in Europe (a term then used for someone who planned and conducted worldwide tours).
The family built a house on the northwest corner of Chesterfield Street and Colleton Avenue and established a catering firm in their home. Elise soon became renowned for her preparation of fine foods and the business was heavily patronized by Aiken “Winter Colony” families, fabulously wealthy founders and heirs to the fortunes made during the American Industrial Revolution.
At about this same time, in 1898, the first Highland Park Hotel burned. It had been a notable structure and had housed many winter colonists who had not yet built a “cottage” in Aiken. (A mansion in any other sense, Winter Colony “cottages” were the second or third homes of families who had great estates on Long Island, Park Avenue in Manhattan, and other wealthy enclaves in the Eastern United States.
On the loss of the hotel, Mrs. Thomas (Louise) Hitchcock persuaded the Willcoxes to open their home as a center for social activities in Aiken.
After the Willcoxs retired, their son Albert (Bert) took over management of the inn and continued its expansion by adding the left wing and second and third floors and the current lobby, until it occupied the entire block on Colleton. Albert died in 1954 and the entire family is buried in St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church cemetery just a few blocks away.
With World War II travel restrictions in the early 1940s, The Willcox fell on hard times and was closed in the early 1950s. The hotel was sold at auction in 1957 and remained closed until it was renovated and reopened in 1984.
In a history of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, written by Mac McClearen and Owen Sheetz, they wrote, “The famous old Willcox Inn drew its guest list from diplomats, society leaders, visiting European royalty, wealthy sportsmen and members of the entertainment world. The Winston Churchills visited; Count and Countess Bernadotte of Sweden spent their honeymoon at the Willcox, John Jacob Astor, Evelyn Walsh McLean (owner of the Hope diamond), makeup queen Elizabeth Arden, singer Andy Williams, dancer Irene Castle, Doris Duke and Bing Crosby – all came to the Willcox to enjoy the leisurely life that Aiken had to offer. “
This completely refurbished hotel once again serves the community as a center of family and social life.
Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken is a city in and the county seat of Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. With Augusta, Georgia, it is one of the two largest cities of the Central Savannah River Area. It is part of the Augusta-Richmond County Metropolitan Statistical Area. Aiken is home to the University of South...
in 1900 by Englishman Frederick Willcox, his Swedish wife Elise Wellborn, and their two sons, Frederick and Albert.
Frederick came to Aiken in the late 1890. He had been a "courier" in Europe (a term then used for someone who planned and conducted worldwide tours).
The family built a house on the northwest corner of Chesterfield Street and Colleton Avenue and established a catering firm in their home. Elise soon became renowned for her preparation of fine foods and the business was heavily patronized by Aiken “Winter Colony” families, fabulously wealthy founders and heirs to the fortunes made during the American Industrial Revolution.
At about this same time, in 1898, the first Highland Park Hotel burned. It had been a notable structure and had housed many winter colonists who had not yet built a “cottage” in Aiken. (A mansion in any other sense, Winter Colony “cottages” were the second or third homes of families who had great estates on Long Island, Park Avenue in Manhattan, and other wealthy enclaves in the Eastern United States.
On the loss of the hotel, Mrs. Thomas (Louise) Hitchcock persuaded the Willcoxes to open their home as a center for social activities in Aiken.
After the Willcoxs retired, their son Albert (Bert) took over management of the inn and continued its expansion by adding the left wing and second and third floors and the current lobby, until it occupied the entire block on Colleton. Albert died in 1954 and the entire family is buried in St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church cemetery just a few blocks away.
With World War II travel restrictions in the early 1940s, The Willcox fell on hard times and was closed in the early 1950s. The hotel was sold at auction in 1957 and remained closed until it was renovated and reopened in 1984.
In a history of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church, written by Mac McClearen and Owen Sheetz, they wrote, “The famous old Willcox Inn drew its guest list from diplomats, society leaders, visiting European royalty, wealthy sportsmen and members of the entertainment world. The Winston Churchills visited; Count and Countess Bernadotte of Sweden spent their honeymoon at the Willcox, John Jacob Astor, Evelyn Walsh McLean (owner of the Hope diamond), makeup queen Elizabeth Arden, singer Andy Williams, dancer Irene Castle, Doris Duke and Bing Crosby – all came to the Willcox to enjoy the leisurely life that Aiken had to offer. “
This completely refurbished hotel once again serves the community as a center of family and social life.
Links
- http://www.thewillcox.com
- http://www.therestaurantatw.com