Excelsior Springs ยท Elms Historic District
The Elms Hotel & Spa
The third Elms on its site, a fireproof 1912 Tudor Revival spa hotel built after two fires; Harry Truman spent election night 1948 here.
- Built
- 1912Third Elms Hotel on the site, opened in 1912 after fires destroyed the 1888 and 1909 hotels.
- Style
- Tudor Revival
- Architect
- Jackson & McIlvain
- Type
- Resort
- Area
- Elms Historic District
- Credentials
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The story
The first Elms, a 200-room spa resort, opened in 1888 and burned in 1898; a second, 300-room Elms opened in 1909 and burned after 15 months. The present fireproof stone hotel, designed by Kansas City architects Jackson & McIlvain in a Tudor Revival style, opened in 1912 for visitors to Excelsior Springs’ mineral waters. Al Capone was a frequent visitor in the Prohibition years, and Harry S. Truman spent election night 1948 here.
The ghost story
Guests and staff report a housekeeper in a 1920s-style uniform on the third floor and a distressed woman searching for her child who is said to tug hair and throw objects; a spirit tied to the Prohibition-era speakeasy is reported near the basement lap pool.
Source: missourilife.com
Good to know
- Address: 401 Regent Street, Excelsior Springs, MO 64024
Sources (2)
Last verified October 2026. Details change; confirm with the inn before you book.