Bertha Hotel
The Bertha Hotel, the Mrs. M.A. Greene Tourist Home, and the Hilltop Inn at 54, 58 and 72 Meeting St. respectively, as depicted on the 1937 Hopkins Map.
Known Name(s)
Bertha Hotel
Address
54 Meeting St. Providence, RI
Establishment Type(s)
Hotel
Physical Status
Demolished
Detailed History
The Hill Top Inn, the Mrs. M.A. Green Tourist Home, and the Bertha Hotel formed a small community of Green Book sites on Meeting St. Located at the bottom of a steep hill, the Bertha Hotel must have been a whirlwind of activity. Like the Hill Top Inn, it was listed early, from 1938 through 1941. The origin of the name "Bertha" is unknown.
The property was owned by the Old Colony Co-Op Bank, which was one of the oldest banks in Providence. Renters included Frank Gunthrop, his wife, Agnes, and daughter Louise, all African-Americans from South Carolina, and Genevieve and Hiawatha Frances, who lodged with the Gunthrops. Hiawatha was a Native American.
The second floor household consisted of widow Annie Harris, her daughter, Leola DuPoint, and their lodgers Anna Reese and Zelma Smith, both from Alabama. All were African-Americans—and all were very busy. Frank and Hiawatha worked as janitors at an electric company, probably as coworkers. Agnes, Annie, Leola, Anna, and Zelma all worked in private homes as cooks and housekeepers. Only Genevieve Frances had no occupation and may have managed the tourist home operations.
While the Bertha Hotel has been demolished, unfortunately for a parking lot, the Hill Top Inn and the M.A. Green Tourist Home survive, probably as result of preservation efforts along Benefit St. These two buildings stand as testimony of the African-American neighborhood that used to be on Meeting St.
