(New) Evans Hotel
Known Name(s)
(New) Evans Hotel
Address
224 Sharp Street Winchester, VA
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Extant
Description
The (New) Evans Hotel is brick, two stories, three bay, with a gable roof, six-over-six windows, and a double interior end chimney on the east elevation. A large frame dormer extends above the a one-story, shed-roof front/south porch. Another one-story porch lies on the west elevation. The house is vernacular and could date as early as circa. 1860. The rear two, story addition is clad in German siding, has a gable roof and two-over-two windows. The westernmost portion of the rear/north addition is one-story, shed roofed, with three-over-one windows
Detailed History
According to William G. Russell, What I know About Winchester, Winchester, 1972, p. 124: "This house, constructed as a 1 ½ story building, today reads as 2 stories. The house is thought to have been built by John Markell as rental property. The house was converted into a hotel for blacks during the mid-20th century at which time the large shed dormer was constructed on the front and rear of the house in addition to the erection of a rear wing."
Harriet Bell operated a beauty shop here in 1914. By 1927, Cyrus and Velma Evans were operating a hotel here. Around the time of the conversion to a hotel, a rear wing was added as was the large shed dormer on the front and rear of the house. In 1947, Hattie Bell operated a grocery store from a side entrance. Due to segregation restrictions she was not permitted to use the front entrance for her business. The 1940 census lists Hattie Bell, age 63, living at 224 Sharp St in George Davis’ household. Also in the household is George Davis’ niece, Meta Harper, 30, who later ran the hotel, though it continued to be called the Evans Hotel into the 1960s. The Green Book refers to it as the (New) Evans Hotel, likely to differentiate it from a demolished Evans Hotel on East Piccadilly. Or to differentiate Ms. Harper’s ownership from the earlier Evans ownership. Black workmen rented rooms here while they were constructing the George Washington Hotel, Handley High School, Ruth's Tea Room on Cecil Street, and the Square Deal Cafe. George Sharp, after whom the street was named lived across the street at 223-225 Sharp.
