Ebony Motel
Known Name(s)
Ebony Motel
Address
Old Dallas Highway Waco, TX
Establishment Type(s)
Motel, Lounge
Physical Status
Demolished
Description
One-story brick motel with twelve rooms with private baths and air-conditioned restaurant.
Detailed History
When the Ebony Motel opened in 1951, it was advertised as “the South’s finest motel for colored people.” At the time, this was considered outside of Waco’s city limits and was on the main road to Dallas. Built on the corner of Harrison Street and Hillsboro Drive, the motel offered 12 units, each complete with private baths, ceiling fans, venetian blinds, Sealy innerspring mattresses, telephone, and room service. The room rate was $9 a week. In addition to the motel was an air-conditioned restaurant, called the Ebony Lounge, that served fine foods, beer, and soft drinks 24 hours a day. The lounge was also used for meetings by churches and other groups, such as the Fellowship Social Club.
The motel was owned by a successful Jewish entrepreneur, David Hoppenstein, but was managed by African Americans for African Americans. David’s parents, Max and Sadie Hoppenstein, emigrated from Russia in 1907 and moved to Waco by 1913. David was born in 1916 in Waco. He attended Baylor University, Baylor Law School, and Harvard Law School. After serving in World War II, he invested in real estate, eventually owning over 1,000 properties in the Waco and Dallas areas. David married Lorraine Stein in 1947, and they remained married for 65 years and had three children together. David stayed active in the real estate business until he was 93. David passed away in 2013 at the age of 97. He is buried in the Agudath Jacob Cemetery in Waco.
In 1951 at the motel’s opening, Travis and Fannie Jackson, a Black couple, managed the motel. By 1960, African American Henry California was the manager. Ebony Motel is last listed in the 1969 Waco City Directory and became the Malibu Inn Lounge. The building is no longer extant.
City Directories: CD 1960 p162: Ebony Motel Henry California mgr 226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1960 p151: Hillsboro Drive (formerly New Dallas hwy) 226 Ebony Motel California Henry; CD 1960 p99: Motels Ebony Motel (For Colored) 226 Hillsboro dr Tel PLaza 3-9448; CD 1961 p83: California Henry mgr Ebony Motel r226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1960 p99: motels Ebony Motel (For Colored) 226 Hillsboro dr Tel PLaza 3-9448; CD 1961 p83: California Henry mgr Ebony Motel r226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1961 p250: Sanger 4723 4723 Hwy 6 Lbr Co; CD 1961 p101: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1961 p165: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr; Ebony Lounge (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1961 p273: Hoppenstein David (Lorraine B; Ebony Motel; Ebony Lounge also Highway 6 Lumber Co) h2324 Lake Air dr; CD 1961 p173: Hillsboro Drive 226 Ebony Motel, Ebony Lounge; CD 1962 p156: Hillsboro Drive 226 Ebony Motel, Ebony Lounge; CD 1962 p85: California Henry mgr Ebony Motel r226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1962 p168: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr; Ebony Lounge (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1962 p52 motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1963 p237: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel PL3-9448, Ebony Lounge PL3-9448; CD 1963 p174: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro Dr; Ebony Lounge (David Hoppenstein) 226 HIllsboro Dr; CD 1964 p92: California Henry mgr Ebony Motel r226 Hillsboro dr; CD 1964 p182: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr; Ebony Lounge x; CD 1964 p212: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel PL3-9448, Rose Room beer PL3-9448; CD 1964 p87: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1965 p198: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro dr PL3-9448; CD 1965 p83: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1965 p211: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel PL3-9448, Rose Room beer PL3-9448; CD 1966 p217: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1966 p231: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel, Rose Room beer; CD 1966 p77: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1967 p192: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1967 p229: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel, Malibu Inn SW9-0974; CD 1967 p96: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1968 p211: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1968 p235: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel, Malibu Inn 799-0974; CD 1968 p103: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1969 p188: Ebony Motel (David Hoppenstein) 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1969 p110: motels Ebony Motel 226 Hillsboro Dr; CD 1969 p217: Hillsboro Dr 226 Ebony Motel, Malibu Inn 799-0974;
