CLARKSDALE, miss. – Two sisters working to keep the blues story alive The Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale, Mississippi, are gaining national support.
“The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Riverside Hotel one of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places,” said Brenda Williams, who is responsible for the hotel’s public relations. “Because of its precious place … not only in blues history … but also in civil rights history.”
This unique “name” wowed the fans of the historic Clarksdale hotel and its owners as they work to save, restore, and maintain the Sunflower Avenue property.
Before it became a guesthouse and then a hotel, this building was that GT Thomas African American hospital back in the 1940s.
Beyond these walls there are stories of how the Riverside Hotel became a safe haven for African American travelers and musicians, and spawned the sound of the blues.
“Ike Turner and Jackie Burnston rehearsed and practiced Rocket 88 in the basement before heading to Sun Studios in Memphis to record the very first rock and roll record,” said Williams.
It has been family-owned for more than 70 years and stayed open until the spring 2020 COVID pandemic forced it to close.
Owners Zelena Ratliff and Sonya Gates struggled with increasing financial problems after the hotel closed, making it financially impossible for the sisters to keep the doors open.
There are three small cottages on the property, all of which require some maintenance, and that’s why a Go Fund Me account was set up with the aim of raising $ 50,000.
The money will be used to set up an emergency operating fund that will help keep the lights on, pay for insurance, and repair some of the recent storm damage to prepare the hotel for business reopening.
The aim is to reopen the hotel by spring 2022 in time for the festival season.
To contribute to The Riverside Hotel’s GoFundMe, click here.
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