In 1894, Turner S. Gordon bought a building on Tenth and Cherry to open as a boarding house. Formerly the Columbia Female Academy and built in 1837, the nucleus of this building is considered the oldest building in Columbia. Mr. Gordon opened a hotel, originally called the Cottage Hotel, and then expanded the building in 1903 and renamed it the Gordon Hotel. This establishment was a response to a severe shortage of short and long term rental accommodations around the turn of the 20th century, when a number of boarding houses and small hotels opened in town.

The Gordon family was very active in the hotel business throughout town, and according to North Todd Gentry’s writings, “it must be stated that Mrs. Leona B. Gordon was largely responsible for the success of her husband’s hotel operations.” Turner S. Gordon had conducted the Planter's Hotel with his mother before operating the Cottage, as well as running the Virginia Cafe and the Gordon Cafe. According to North Todd Gentry's biographical sketch, he "was so liberal in serving his guests that he made little money out of his undertakings." He had an excellent sense of humor for the hotel business, and when a man once asked Gordon if he had seen his wife, Gordon replied, "I have been in the hotel business too long to tell a man about his wife, a wife about her husband, parents about children or children about parents. I always say, 'I don't know.'"

The Gordon was the first hotel with steam heat and sewers in Columbia, boasting 20 rooms with private baths. Famous hotel guests include Mark Twain, for whom Phi Beta Kappa held a dinner in 1903, William Jennings Bryan during his campaign tours, and Missouri Governor Joseph W. Folk during the Edward Butler trial in 1904 over corporate bribery in the city and state government.

In 1910, Turner S. Gordon sold the hotel to Dr. E.P. Smith, after managing it for 16 years, claiming he did not have time to devote to its management. The building was leased to the University of Missouri for use as the home economics department in 1911, and was bought and remodeled by Mr. Neidermeyer in 1921 as an apartment building. The building still stands as Neidermeyer Apartments and is a recognized Columbia historic site. The lovely old building is a testament to the flexibility of Columbia hospitality and business, and has stood through every evolution of the hotel industry in town.

The Gordon Hotel

Sources on this page include:

The University Missourian, The University of Missouri Savitar, State Historical Society of Missouri Collections C0049 and C4126.