Savoy Hotel and Grill

By kennyg5577
updated 5 months ago

Booth #4 The President's Booth - The luxurious Savoy Hotel was built at 9th and Central in downtown K.C. in 1888 by the Arbuckle brothers of Arbuckle Coffee fame. In 1903 the hotel was remodled and the west wing was added, including the Savoy Grill, a fine dining establishment built of imported marble, brass fixtures and beautiful stained glass. For decades it was THE place for fine dining in Kansas City. Early on, booth #4 became known as "The President's Booth" and hosted the likes of Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, Warren G. Harding, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and of course, The Man from Independence, Missouri's own Harry S. Truman. Other celebrities have included W.C. Fields, Will Rogers and John D. Rockefeller.

Following WWII, with people flocking to the 'burbs, the Savoy fell onto hard times, but in 1960 Don Lee purchased the grill and in 1965 the entire hotel. He saw its continuing potential and today, the Savoy Hotel is a trendy bed and breakfast with victorian design and decor and the Savoy Grill is again THE place in K.C. for fine dining. In 1974, the hotel and grill were entered into the National Historical Registry, highlighting both its glorious past and its bright future.