The Dream:
On August 18, 1952, some 75 citizens of Nacogdoches voted unanimously on a dream - to build a place for the “convenience of guests and travelers” to their city. Less than one month later, the hotel campaign had 136 fundraising workers and 41 members on the executive committee, each of whom had to purchase stock before working on the campaign.

By December 6, 1952, the citizens of Nacogdoches, population 13,000, had raised their goal of $500,000. A corporate charter for “The Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation” was obtained in March, listing 1,126 community stockholders.

In April 1953, a hotel-naming contest was held, and the board of directors heard more than 300 suggestions. The winning name, “Hotel Fredonia,” was selected for being “distinctive, euphonious - and easily remembered.”

The groundbreaking ceremonies were held May 3, 1954. The grand opening of the Hotel Fredonia was held on April 1, 1955. An estimated 6,000 guests attended. The following night, the first banquet was held in the ballroom for 300 guests of the Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation.

On April 2, 1956, the Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation hosted a one-year birthday party for the hotel. A new addition, the 30-room Oak Terrace unit, was completed a few years later.

The Struggle:
In 1965, manager Herbert Wilson reported that the occupancy rates were down slightly, attributing the decline to the construction of newer, more modern motels in neighboring towns.

By the end of the 1960s, after years of declining revenues and a lack of reinvestment to keep it updated and competitive, the Nacogdoches Community Hotel Corporation was in debt. The board recommended selling the hotel to avoid foreclosure.

Over the next decade, ownership of the hotel bounced through a series of out-of-town companies and investors before the doors closed in 1985. The facility remained closed for four years.

The Rebuilding:
In the interim, Mayor A.L. Mangham Jr. began gathering community leaders to explore reopening the hotel. Initially, the Fredonia Corporation planned to spend $4.2 million to renovate the building. That price tag soon escalated to $7.5 million.

About 25 percent of the funds required to begin the renovation came from the community. Fifty local stockholders, many following in their families' footsteps, invested in restoring the hotel. A partnership between the private sector and local, state and federal governments led to the restoration of The Fredonia and the construction of its accompanying convention center in the late 1980s.

While some funding for the renovation was obtained locally, it was not enough. The Fredonia Corporation worked with the city commission to obtain the remaining funding for the project.

Mayor Judy McDonald, city manager Jarvis Ammons and the city's grant writer, Gary Traylor, worked hard to win the support of U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm, whose assistance was instrumental in obtaining the remaining funding through a Department of Urban Development Administration Grant. UDAG grants, which normally went to urban cities, had never before been granted to a rural area.

"This is an entity that is going to bring jobs, growth and opportunity to Nacogdoches and East Texas," Gramm said during the May 21, 1989, ceremony celebrating the reopening of the newly remodeled Fredonia. "This is a landmark of Nacogdoches, a historic city that cares about its past.”

The Dream Continues:
On April 1, 2005, we honored “our hotel” and those who have been instrumental in its founding and success. It has been known by many names - Hotel Fredonia, Sheraton Crest Inn, Fredonia Inn and The Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center - and for half a century it has remained at the heart of many memorable and joyous occasions. It has given the community focus; it has created jobs, increased tourism and instilled a sense of civic pride and tradition in the citizens of Nacogdoches. The Fredonia Hotel continues to be the “Nacogdoches Community Hotel” and our lobby remains the “city’s living room.”