Welcome to the Hotel Metropolitan, A Living Museum

Scottlynn Ballard

Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson walking up to the Hotel Metropolitan. photo credit: Scottlynn Ballard

In today’s world of modern technology and innovation, there aren’t many places that can make the past come to life. Many museums offer glimpses of what life used to be like decades ago, but from afar—the past is on one side of the glass exhibit, while you and your present are on the other.

Few invite you to experience history like Paducah’s African American museum The Hotel Metropolitan; from the moment you walk in the door, you are transported back to the late 1940’s under the care of the hotel’s owner and host, Maggie Steed.

I had the opportunity to visit this hotel with a handful of scholars during this year’s symposium on segregation and recreation, which was hosted by Murray State’s Office of Multicultural Initiatives. Dr. Nancy Dawson, vice president of the Friends of Cherokee State Historic Park, invited me to join them on their day trip to visit both Cherokee Park and the Metropolitan.

At first glance, the Metropolitan looked like a very long house nestled in a quiet neighborhood, with a yard that stretched from street corner to street corner. The dark green steps to the porch were covered in rock salt, though there were a few stubborn patches of ice near the ends. Two white rocking chairs sat by the door, one on each side, just in case anyone wanted to take in the sight of the quiet neighborhood. Holiday ornaments dangled from the soffit ceiling in festive golds, holly reds, and even a few hints of silver, purple, and green. There were still wreaths spreading some holiday cheer as they hung on the second floor windows.

Inside, we were introduced to conversation, the smell of warm food, and a table featuring a list of people and groups known to stay at the Metropolitan: famous Black musicians, comedians, and politicians–even athletes such as Marques Haynes of the Harlem Globetrotters spent the night here.

Betty Dobson, the hotel director, welcomed us in to sit in the back room, where we were served with fried catfish, cornbread muffins, chicken soup, and my new favorite dessert, chess pie—all on a nice, darkwood table. While we ate, she made her way to the entryway, transformed into the Metropolitan’s founder, Maggie Steed, and recounted her story of how she got her hotel.

Betty Dobson impersonating hotel founder Maggie Steed. photo credit: Scottlynn Ballard

According to Mrs. Dobson, Mrs. Steed had gone to her banker one day and, with a cleaned shirt and chess pie in tow, asked what it would take to build a “colored hotel, one that would accommodate folks” that looked like her.

It didn’t go over well at first. The banker turned Maggie down, going so far as to say “who in the world would want to stay at a colored hotel?”

Steed’s answer was simple—Black Americans wanted comfortable and dignified housing accommodations even in segregated America.

“And I tell you this,” Steed had said. “Whoever’s got the mind to do it, they’re gonna make themselves some money.”

That seemed to convince him. However, Steed also had to convince her husband, Henry Steed, to sign the papers to begin building the hotel.

“But you know Henry didn’t like that idea,” Steed said. “I talked to the Lord, and then I talked to Henry. Lord, I talked to the Lord a little bit more and then I talked to Henry. I was talking to the Lord—and talking to Henry. That night though, I got them papers signed!”

During our visit to the Metropolitan, we had the opportunity to see one of its esteemed guests: former state representative Charles Booker, who is running against U.S. Senator Rand Paul in the upcoming 2022 election.

“You know I had to come back,” Booker said. “It was really important to come here because I understand the power of what we’re doing. We’re bringing people together in ways that a lot of national folks don’t think is possible in a place like Kentucky. But it’s especially possible in Kentucky.”

Charles Booker speaking with scholars and guests at the hotel Metropolitan. photo credit: Gae Broadwater, Friends of Cherokee State Park

After eating, I made my way upstairs to view the rooms. The bathroom alone looked like something out of a movie screen; black and white diamond tile floors complete with a standing bathtub, burgundy walls, and a window beside the sinks.

The bedrooms nearby were just as stunning. Each room has a board name and picture of someone who stayed, complete with a biography of their successes; in Ike and Tina Turner’s room, there were warm red and cream-striped pillows, as well as a bedside table with a lamp and rotary phone.

The Hotel Metropolitan is a unique museum where the past and present become a lively blend of history; one that you can taste in the food, hear in Mrs. Dobson’s voice as she evokes the pioneering and caring nature of Maggie Steed, and see in both the modern guests who visit and the rooms past patrons stayed.

During the Jim Crow era, publications such as the Negro Motorist Green Book served as a vital handbook for Black travelers. Created in 1936 by postal worker Victor Hugo Green, the travel guide listed businesses that would be hospitable to Black Americans in segregated America, including restaurants, beauty shops, and hotels. The “Green Book” remained in publication until 1967 following the adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Hotel Metropolitan was first added in the 1938 edition.

The Hotel Metropolitan is located on 724 Oscar Cross Ave. in Paducah, Kentucky. To learn more about the museum, including how to book an appointment and upcoming events, visit their Facebook page.

From top left: former state representative Charles Booker, Scottlynn Ballard, Dr. Tanya Price, Dr. Alison Rose Jefferson, Henrietta Shelton, Dr. Nancy Dawson, Viola Hudgins, and Dr. Ronald Stephens. Photo credit: Gae Broadwater, Friends of Cherokee Park