St. Louis ยท Downtown & the Arch
Magnolia Hotel St. Louis
Opened in 1925 as the 18-story Mayfair, where KMOX first broadcast; the hotel says the custom of chocolates on the pillow began here.
- Built
- 1925Built 1924-25 (the nomination gives ca. 1924-26); opened as the Mayfair Hotel on August 29, 1925.
- Architect
- Preston J. Bradshaw
- Type
- Boutique hotel
- Area
- Downtown & the Arch
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
Hotelier Charles Heiss, a former Statler manager, built the 18-story Mayfair to Preston J. Bradshaw’s design and opened it on August 29, 1925. Radio station KMOX first broadcast from a studio on its mezzanine that year. Guests over the years included Irving Berlin, Cary Grant, Harry Truman and Lyndon B. Johnson, and the hotel says the custom of chocolates on the pillow began here. It now operates as Magnolia Hotel St. Louis, a Tribute Portfolio hotel.
Good to know
- Address: 421 North 8th Street, St. Louis, MO 63101
Things to do
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Sources (3)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.