The Greenbrier
The Greenbrier is a luxury resort located in the Allegheny Mountains near White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States.
Since 1778, visitors have traveled to this part of the state to "take the waters" of the area. Today, the Greenbrier is situated on of land with 710 guest rooms, 20 restaurants and lounges, more than 55 indoor and outdoor activities and sports, and more than 35 retail shops.
The current Greenbrier was built in 1913 by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and was owned for much of its history by that company and its successors, Chessie System and CSX Corporation. Following years of heavy losses, CSX had the hotel file for bankruptcy protection in 2009. Justice Family Group, LLC, a company owned by coal baron and later governor of West Virginia, and U.S. Senator from West Virginia, Jim Justice, subsequently bought the property and guaranteed all debts, resulting in dismissal of the bankruptcy protection. Justice promised to return the hotel to its former status as a five-star resort and to introduce "tasteful" gambling for guests to increase profit. The Greenbrier Hotel Corp. today operates as a subsidiary of Justice's company.
The last U.S. president to stay at the Greenbrier during his presidency was Dwight D. Eisenhower. A total of 28 presidents have stayed at the hotel.
The Greenbrier is also the site of a massive underground bunker that was meant to serve as an emergency shelter for the United States Congress during the Cold War. The bunker was code named "Project Greek Island".
History
Early development
A spring of sulphur water is at the center of the resort property. It is surrounded by the white-columned spring house, topped by a green dome that has been the symbol of the Greenbrier for generations. Beginning in 1778, Mrs. Anderson, a local pioneer, adopted the local Native American tradition of "taking the waters" to relieve her chronic rheumatism. Based on this resource, for the first 125 years, the resort was known by the name White Sulphur Springs. It was a destination for people during the summers who wanted to escape coastal heat and diseases.The property was acquired by the Calwells, a prominent Baltimore family. They developed the large property as a resort, selling cottages, many of which still stand today, to prominent Southern individuals. Notable guests of the early 19th century included Martin Van Buren and Henry Clay.
In 1858, they built a huge hotel building on the property. The Grand Central Hotel came to be known by the moniker "The White" and, later, "The Old White". During the Civil War, the property changed hands between forces of the Confederate Army and the Union Army, who almost burned the resort to the ground.
Following the Civil War, the resort reopened under Confederate States of America Major Cornelius Boyle. It became a place for many Southerners and Northerners alike to vacation. It was the setting for some notable post-war reconciliations. The "White Sulphur Manifesto", the only political paper published by Confederate General Robert E. Lee after the Civil War, advocated the merging of the two societies. The resort became a center of regional post-war society, especially after the arrival of the railroad. Beginning in 1869, it provided direct service to the resort's gates.
The Greenbrier
In 1910, the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway purchased the resort property, building additional amenities, including the current bath wing, which opened in 1911. The C&O's improvements culminated with the construction of a colossal six-story, 250-room hotel building, which forms the central wing of today's hotel. Designed by British-born American architect Frederick Julius Sterner, it opened on September 25, 1913. At this time, what had for decades been a summer establishment was converted to a year-round resort, and the name was officially changed to the Greenbrier, after the neighboring county. The neighboring town had incorporated in 1909 and adopted the name White Sulphur Springs, which the resort had previously used. The railroad also introduced the game of golf, which became a defining feature of the resort. The first small course was opened in 1910, and a full 18-hole course, designed by Charles B. Macdonald, opened at the Greenbrier in 1913. That original course is today known as "The Old White TPC". The historic Old White Hotel structure was demolished in 1922 because it failed to meet then-current fire codes. In 1931, completion of the north wing, crossing the original 1913 wing like a "T", nearly doubled the size of the hotel.Just after the United States entered World War II, the resort was called on December 17, 1941, to serve as a relocation center for Axis diplomats who were in the United States and had been interned as enemies of the United States. The first detainees were Germans; later, they were joined by Japanese diplomats previously interned at The Homestead in Hot Springs, Virginia. The hotel served as a diplomatic detention center until July 8, 1942.
The hotel briefly reopened for the 1942 season, but was soon commandeered by the U.S. Army for use as a hospital. The Army paid $3.3 million for the property, which had been valued at $5.4 million, and took over control of the property on September 1, 1942. They converted the resort to a 2000-bed hospital, known as Ashford General Hospital, named for Bailey Ashford, a noted Army doctor. The hospital opened on October 16, 1943. It treated nearly 25,000 patients before closing on June 30, 1946. The property was sold back to the C&O railroad for just under the $3.3 million they had been paid in 1942.
C&O hired internationally renowned interior designer Dorothy Draper to completely redecorate and restore the Greenbrier. Draper oversaw every element of the design of the property in her trademark style: combining bold colors, classical influences and modern touches, and the work took two years. The Greenbrier's reopening, celebrated from April 15 to 18, 1948, was an international social event of the season. Notable attendees included the Duke of Windsor and his wife, Wallis Simpson, Bing Crosby, and members of the Joseph Kennedy family. Since the late 20th century, the resort has hosted several presidents and vice-presidents, in addition to foreign dignitaries such as Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, and Prince Rainier and Princess Grace of Monaco.
International meetings
The Greenbrier resort has played host to several important international meetings. During World War II, future Canadian prime minister Lester Pearson, then assigned to the Canadian embassy in Washington, D.C., was among the illustrious guests planning the Allied effort for resources allocation. The U.S., Mexican, and Canadian leaders met at the Greenbrier in 1955 for international discussions.The Bunker
In the late 1950s, the U.S. government approached the Greenbrier for assistance in creating a secret emergency relocation center to house Congress in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. The classified, underground facility, named "Project Greek Island", was built at the same time as the West Virginia Wing, an above-ground addition to the hotel, from 1959 to 1962.Although for 30 years the bunker was kept stocked with supplies, it was never used as an emergency location, even during the Cuban Missile Crisis. The existence of the bunker was not acknowledged by the government; Ted Gup of The Washington Post reported it in a 1992 story. Immediately after publication of the Post story, the government decommissioned the bunker. The facility has since been renovated. It is used as a data storage facility by CSX IP for the private sector. It is featured as an attraction in which visitors can tour the now declassified facilities, known as The Bunker.
Justice family ownership
On March 20, 2009, the resort filed for bankruptcy, listing debt of up to $500 million and assets of $100 million. It had suffered from competition from a wide variety of resorts, and declining traffic since the postwar period as patrons shifted to destinations they could reach by automobile. The resort lost $35 million in 2008 and had to lay off 650 employees, half its workforce, in early 2009. Pending court and regulatory approval, it was announced in March 2009 that the resort was to be sold to the Marriott hotel chain, contingent upon significant concessions from the unions and approval of $50 million in financing from CSX.On May 7, 2009, the Justice family of West Virginia purchased the resort for $20 million. The Justice family, headed by patriarch Jim Justice, has extensive farm and mining operations in West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. It farms through its Justice Family Farms group, headquartered in Beckley, West Virginia. In early 2009, it sold its Bluestone Coal Corporation network of West Virginia coal mines to the Russian mining company Mechel, based in Moscow.
The Marriott Corporation asserted that it had a valid contract to purchase the hotel, and expected to see that contract honored. However, Justice ultimately settled with Marriott. The bankruptcy judge dismissed the case on May 19, 2009, clearing the way for Justice's purchase of the property.
The resort was closed briefly after the 2016 West Virginia flood; however, flood victims who needed a place to stay were offered rooms in the hotel. The hotel reopened on July 12, 2016, with several amenities, including an off-road Jeep trail, several walking trails, and the falconry operation, which had been closed for the year.
With Justice's election as Governor of West Virginia in 2017, his daughter Jill took over day-to-day control of the Greenbrier.
Financial woes have continued into the 2020s. Ownership of the Greenbrier has been used as collateral for loans taken out by the Justice family, including to both Carter Bank & Trust as well as a $50 million loan from JPMorgan Chase. Tax liens have been placed on other Justice properties for non-payment of taxes as well. The Justices have been in court several times for non-payment of debts, suggesting that bailing out the property might not be easy for the family.
In 2024, the hotel narrowly avoided a foreclosure auction, after JP Morgan sold the loan they held to Beltway Capital, a credit collection agency, which declared it to be in default.