College View Motel
Known Name(s)
College View Motel
Address
1129 Elm Ave./ In 1956 address is "East Elm Street" Waco, TX
Establishment Type(s)
Motel
Physical Status
Demolished
Detailed History
An African American-owned hotel during the period of segregation and Jim Crow laws, the College View Court-Hotel provided respite for black travelers on the road. The College View Court-Hotel offered guests modern comfort with its thirty-five air-conditioned rooms and tiled bathrooms. Owned by Dr. J. W. Yancy II, president of Paul Quinn College from 1939 to 1942, the hotel operated throughout the 1950s and continued well into the late 1970s during a time of dramatic expansion in highway travel. Automobile ownership boomed in the post-World War II period. Advances in technology made cars increasingly reliable for long distance travel as well as more affordable to larger portions of society, including the emerging Black middle class. African Americans saw the mobility and freedom that highway travel offered as especially attractive. Despite the opportunities opened up by new technology and expanded infrastructure, travel still required extensive planning since many businesses refused to serve non-white citizens. The emergence of motels such as the College View Court-Hotel in the mid-twentieth century provided some relief. The College View offered convenient and affordable lodging to African Americans on the road. The amenities at motor lodges such as this one—such as the way rooms opened into the parking lot, or the offering of separate cabins for each family—made travel more accessible.
The Negro Motorist Green Book served as a vital guidebook for African American travelers. The College View Court-Hotel first appeared in the Green Book publication in 1951 and continued to appear in the updated edition throughout the 1950s and 1960s. It was The Green Book’s mission to “give the Negro traveler information that will keep him from running into difficulties, embarrassments and to make his trips more enjoyable,” in spite of harsh Jim Crow laws. It was an essential tool for the Black traveler facing strict segregation. The College View Court-Hotel stood as a symbol of the Black middle class in Waco, serving African Americans who embraced travel throughout the country in spite of its difficulties. Yancy owned the hotel until it eventually closed and was razed in the 1970s. It is likely that decreased business following integration contributed to the motel’s closure. Today, visitors can still see the center steps and concrete landscape walls of the hotel at the business’s former address, 1129 Elm Avenue in Waco.
Dalton Strouse and Amanda Sawyer, “College View Court-Hotel,” Waco History, accessed June 26, 2024, https://wacohistory.org/items/show/147.
City Directories: CD 1948 p544: Elm av 1129 x; CD 1951 p93: College View Court Hotel Jas W Yancy mgr tourist ct 1129 Elm av; CD 1951 p97: Elm av 1129 College View Court Hotel; CD 1951 p539: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta M) mgr College View Court Hotel h1116 Elm av; CD 1953 p66: tourists courts College View Court Hotel 1129 Elm av; CD 1953 p115: Elm av 1129 College View Court Hotel; CD 1953 p104: College View Court Hotel James W Yancy mgr tourist ct 1129 Elm av; CD 1953 p601: Yancy James W (Henrietta M) mgr College View Hotel h1116 Elm; CD 1954 p99: College View Court Hotel J W Yancy mgr tourist cts 1129 Elm av; CD 1954 p549: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta) mgr College View Court Hotel h1116 Elm av; Yancy Henrietta M Mrs tchr Moore Jr and Sr High Sch h1116 Elm av; CD 1954 p112: Elm av 1129 College View Court Hotel tourists courts; CD 1954 p53: tourist courts College View Court Hotel 1129 Elm av; CD 1955 p107: College View Court Hotel Jas W Yancy mgr tourists cts 1129 Elm av; CD 1955 p596: Yancy Jas W (H Miller) mgr College View Cts Hotel h1116 Elm av; CD 1955 p116: Elm av 1129 College View Court Hotel; CD 1955 p116: Elm Av 1129 College View Court Hotel tourists' courts; CD 1955 p52: tourist courts College View Court Hotel 1129 Elm av; CD 1956 p108: tourists courts College View Court Hotel 1123-27 Elm av; CD 1956 p131: Elm av 1123-27 College View Court Hotel tourists cts; 1129 x; CD 1958 p131: Elm 1123-27 College View Court Hotel tourists cts; CD 1958 p85: motels College View Courts Hotel 1123-27 Elm; CD 1958 p118: College View Court Hotel (Jas W Yancy) tourtist cts 1123-27 Elm; CD 1958 p661: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta; College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm; CD 1959 p110: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm; CD 1959 p624: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta; College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm; CD 1959 p124: Elm 1129 x; 1123 College View Court Hotel tourist cts; CD 1959 p94: motels College View Courts Hotel 1123 Elm; CD 1960 p99: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm; CD 1960 p126: Elm 1123 College View Court Hotel tourist cts; 1129 x; CD 1960 p111: College View Court Hotel (Jas W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm; CD 1960 p621: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta; College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm; CD 1961 p113: College View Court Hotel (Jas W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm; CD 1961 p638: Yancy Jas W (Henrietta) prin Jenkins Elm Sch h1116 Elm; Yancy Henrietta Mrs tchr Moore High Sch r1116 Elm; CD 1961 p144: Elm 1123 College View Court Hotel tourist cts; CD 1961 p101: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm; CD 1962 p114: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm; CD 1962 p654: Yancy Jas W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm; CD 1962 p129: Elm 1123 College View Court Hotel tourist cts; Elm 1129 x; CD 1963 p196: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts PL3-9926; CD 1963 p119: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1963 p666: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1964 p134: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1964 p709: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1964 p175: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts PL3-9926; CD 1965 p135: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St PL3-9926; CD 1965 p769: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St (o) PL2-9490; CD 1965 p175: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts PL3-9926; CD 1965 p83: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm St; CD 1966 p148: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St PL3-9926; CD 1966 p846: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St (o) PL2-9490; CD 1966 p188: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts PL3-9926; CD 1966 p77: motels College View Court Motel 1123 Elm St; CD 1967 p131: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1967 p759: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1967 p187: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts PL3-9926; CD 1967 p96: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm St; CD 1968 p144: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1968 p829: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1968 p191: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts 753-9926; Elm St 1116 Yancy James W (o) 752-9495; CD 1968 p103: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm St; CD 1969 p128: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1969 p751: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1969 p177: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourist cts 753-9926; Elm ST 1116 Yancy James W (o) 752-9495; CD 1969 p110: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm St; CD 1971 p137: College View Court Hotel (James W Yancy) tourists cts 1123 Elm St; CD 1971 p787: Yancy James W (College View Court Hotel) h1116 Elm St; CD 1971 p198: Elm St 1123 College View Court Hotel tourists cts 753-9926; Elm St 1116 Yancy James W (o) 752-9495; CD 1971 p122: motels College View Court Hotel 1123 Elm St;
