CINCINNATI — A new permanent historic marker honoring businessman Horace Sudduth and the legacy of the Manse Hotel and Annex was dedicated Friday in Walnut Hills.
The historic marker, which was unveiled at a ceremony, was dedicated at the corner of Chapel and Monfort Streets. Numerous officials spoke during the dedication ceremony including Cincinnati’s Vice Mayor Jan-Michele Kearney.
The Ohio History Connection operates the Ohio History Marker Program, and the Carol Ann and Ralph V. Halle, Jr. Foundation funded the marker’s construction and placement in Walnut Hills.
Horace Sudduth (1888-1957) was the wealthiest Black person of his generation in Cincinnati and its most influential Black businessperson, officials from the Ohio History Connection said.
Sudduth moved from the city basin to Walnut Hills, which had been home to a significant middle and working-class Black community since the 1850s, officials said. In 1931, Sudduth bought 1004 Chapel Street and the row of buildings across the street, developing and naming them the Manse Hotel and Annex.
Over the years, Sudduth upgraded and expanded the rooms, restaurant and other facilities. The Manse provided comfortable residential and transient lodging during segregation. It also appeared in the Negro Motorist’s Green Book between 1940-1963, officials said.
According to the Ohio History Connection, the Annex hosted many famous guests. Future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who was attending the NAACP convention, stayed at the hotel in 1946, and Frank Robinson lived in the Annex while playing for the 1956 Cincinnati Reds during his National League Rookie of the Year campaign.
The Manse is currently operated by Episcopal Retirement Services as 60 affordable housing units for seniors with limited incomes.
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