Omni Severin Hotel

The Omni Severin Hotel is a historic hotel, opened in 1913. It is a contributing property in the Indianapolis Union Station Wholesale District historic district. The hotel is located directly across Jackson Place from the Union Station head house. It is a member of Historic Hotels of America, an official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.[2]

Hotel Severin
Omni Severin Hotel in 2012. Original 1913 wing on left, 1989 wing on right.
LocationIndianapolis, Indiana
Coordinates39°45′49.6″N 86°9′34.5″W
Built1913
Part ofIndianapolis Union Station-Wholesale District
NRHP reference No.82000067[1]
Added to NRHPJuly 14, 1982

History

The Hotel Severin was constructed by Henry Severin Jr., with help from Indianapolis Motor Speedway founders Carl G. Fisher and James A. Allison. It was built on the site of the earlier Grand Hotel, which opened in 1876 and burned down in 1905. The first event at the hotel, the Christamore Settlement Ball, was held at the hotel on August 22, 1913, and the Hotel Severin received its first registered guest the next day, Indiana Congressman James Eli Watson.[3]

Several different owners managed the hotel, until it was bought by Warren M. Atkinson in 1966. Renamed The Atkinson of Indianapolis, the building underwent a $2.5 million renovation.

Mansur Development Corporation bought the Atkinson in July 1988. The hotel underwent a $40 million restoration, which added two wings to the back of the original 1913 building, forming a U-shaped structure, with the entrance moved to the rear of the hotel, where a new lobby was constructed. The hotel reopened on February 3, 1990[4] as the Omni Severin Hotel. In 1999, Mansur sold the hotel to Omni Hotels.[5]

The hotel retains many original 1913 elements. The Severin Ballroom Lobby is the lobby of the original hotel structure and its immense Austrian crystal chandelier, marble staircase and other fittings are all original. The original mailbox still serves the hotel. The furniture pieces on each elevator landing were originally dressers in the guest rooms. The Omni Severin is the oldest and longest operating hotel in downtown Indianapolis.

The hotel has 424 guest rooms with meeting and banquet facilities. It is a member of the Omni Hotels chain.

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. "Omni Severin Hotel, Indianapolis, a Historic Hotels of America member". Historic Hotels of America. Retrieved January 28, 2014.
  3. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20130807006410/en/Omni-Severin-Hotel-Celebrates-Centennial
  4. https://www.digitalindy.org/digital/collection/io/id/1051
  5. https://www.indystar.com/story/money/2013/09/14/100-years-old-and-still-open-for-business/2813743/
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