The Tilly aka Phoenix aka Youree aka Washington-Youree aka Captain Shreve Hotel of Shreveport

The Youree Hotel was the "Pride of the Southwest" during the first half of the 20th century (Louisiana State Library).

My dog's name is Tilly and coincidentally, there once was a Tilly ('s) Hotel in Shreveport, Caddo Parish, Louisiana. So OF COURSE I had to learn more about it, since they named it after my dog.

Well, okay, not really. Tilly's Hotel was named after its owner. When it opened in 1884, it was considered one of Shreveport's most luxurious accommodations. It was even mentioned in the Congressional Record, when a Representative chastised a colleague for having purchased lemonade while staying there. A mere four years later, though, it succumbed to a disastrous fire that killed a traveling salesman from Ohio.

Tilly's Hotel was a brick structure at Market and Texas streets in Shreveport in the 1880s. It burned in 1888 (LOC).

The hotel was not out of the game, though -- it was resurrected by 1890 as the Phoenix Hotel, which became kind of a landmark: businesses advertised their addresses as to the hotel's location. This corner of Market and Texas Streets appeared to be the heart of the city, and it became even more so when Peter Youree purchased the hotel, together with all the surrounding lots and properties on this block, in 1899. By January 1914, the Phoenix was reborn again as the Youree Hotel.

The hotel was rebuilt and appropriately named Phoenix by the 1890s (LOC).

The Youree Hotel, which later became the Washington-Youree Hotel to reflect a business partnership, was hailed near and far as a luxury hotel that boasted telephones (and I believe air conditioning) in every room. It had restaurants, ballrooms, a switchboard, barbershop, and other kinds of enticements that made a stay in this place worthwhile. During the 1920s, with the Washington Hotel partnership, it expanded to encompass the Travis Street side, too. In 1953, the Youree part of the hotel was renamed the Captain Shreve Hotel.

By 1935, the hotel was named the Washington-Youree and encompassed the entire city block! (LOC)

Due to a variety of factors, like the construction of Interstate 20, the decline in regional travel, the uptick in motor courts in the mid-century, and simply business decisions, the marbled glamour of this hotel block faded. The hotel buildings found themselves victims to the wrecking ball December 1979.

Today, the Louisiana Tower stands in the Tilly aka Phoenix aka Youree aka Washington-Youree aka Captain Shreve Hotel's former site in downtown Shreveport. Although it's a lovely skyscraper, it doesn't have that Hollywood glam feeling to it.

To see more photos of the Youree Hotel, visit Twin Blends - Northwest Louisiana History Hunters, who uncovered a treasure trove of images from LSU-Shreveport's archive (do a search for Youree).

The Youree Hotel when it was still the Phoenix (Shreveport Chamber).

Althought it looks creepy in this newspaper photo, the rooms in the Youree Hotel were considered modern and top-notch.

Today, the Louisiana Tower sits on the site of the former hotel in downtown Shreveport (Googe Maps).