BRYAN RUSSO: The Henry Hotel survives as one of a few 19th century structures in downtown Ocean City. Historically, it's one of the last surviving hotels that served black visitors in the early to mid 20th century. And yet, while it hasn't served a guest in more than a quarter century, some hope it can become a beacon that links the past to the future. Delmarva Public Media's Kevin Diaz attended the unveiling of a mural this week honoring the hotel's history, and he brings us this report.
DIAZ: If you walk down Baltimore Avenue in Ocean City just past the downtown bus transit station, it's easy to look past a three-story wooden shake structure on the corner. It stands gracefully behind a white picket fence. That's the Henry Hotel or "Henry's Colored Hotel" as it was once known. Back in the day, if you were an African-American visitor to Ocean City, chances are that's where you stayed. The hotel was one of the few that served black folks. The last hotel guest left in the 1990s, but the Henry Hotel hasn't been forgotten. This week, a group of civic and nonprofit leaders gathered for the unveiling of a freestanding mural depicting scenes from the old Henry Hotel.
CHALLENGER: This is really a big deal. It's a big deal for us to be able to work with the city to make this happen really timely during the city's 150th anniversary.
DIAZ: That was Lisa Challenger, director of the Beach to Bay Heritage Area, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving the region's history and culture. The mural by DC artist Jay Coleman honors the late owner, Mrs. Pearl Bonner, and some of the hotel's more celebrated guests, including performers such as Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Louis Armstrong.
COLEMAN: When you look at the crowd here today, and you look at all the faces and you look at all the demographics that we represent, and you look at the history that this mural represents, we're standing on the shoulders of so many ancestors that made this possible.
DIAZ: Coleman called his mural a labor of love and one that he hopes will serve as a call from the past.
COLEMAN: And I look at the times that we're in now, and we are in an ahistorical time where in some places history is trying to be covered and erased. Our children have the attention spans of squirrels, and we don't read as much anymore or delve into our history. I hope that this can be a beacon for all of us to dig deeper into our own family histories, into Maryland history, and of course to the history of the Henry Hotel.
DIAZ: For leaders of the Henry Hotel Foundation, a nonprofit organized to restore the hotel to its former glory, the mural serves as a billboard for their public fundraising efforts.
HOWARD: My motto or my saying is that the Henry Hotel is here because it wants to tell its story. It needs to tell its story.
DIAZ: That's Nancy Howard, president of the Henry Hotel Foundation. She sees the hotel as a symbol of resilience.
HOWARD: The inlet, which is two blocks away, was cut in 1933. This building was here. There's no foundation, at least not one we can find, but it's still here. We had the '65 Nor'easter that came through and lasted for days. This building is still here. Since then, we've had multiple hurricanes, nor'easters, other acts of God. This building is still here. It wants to tell its story, it needs to tell a story.
DIAZ: The foundation has received funding from the Maryland Historical Trust and the Department of Housing and Community Development. But to finish the job will take far more from the public and other entities.
PURNELL: Ocean City, yes, we need the water, the wave, the ponies, and all of that, but history is important to our future, for our kids.
DIAZ: That's Diana Purnell, a Worcester County commissioner. To her, the Henry Hotel is not just about the past.
PURNELL: History is the driver of our future.
DIAZ: This particular piece of history has been standing since 1895, even without a foundation, and with a little help from the community, it won't be erased. For Delmarva Public Media, This is Kevin Diaz in Ocean City.
