Built in 1965, the Governor’s House Hotel was once a premier landmark in Alabama’s capital city of Montgomery. The hotel featured 197 guest rooms, 6 meeting rooms, and a large banquet hall totaling over 19,500-square-feet of meeting and convention space. The Governor’s House had all of the luxuries of a private country club with outdoor activities including swimming, golf at a 9-hole golf course and horseback riding. The hotel even had a restaurant and lounge, The Rotunda Restaurant and Filibuster Lounge. One fascinating feature of the hotel was the custom-built outdoor swimming pool in the shape of Alabama.
During the 1960s, the Governor’s House Hotel quickly became one of the top convention centers in Montgomery. The hotel hosted all sorts of famous people and events. Former Alabama Governors George Wallace and Fob James both held their campaign election parties in the Alabama Room. Politicians were frequent guests in the Rotunda Restaurant. However, the guest list was not limited to only government officials. Many famous actresses and actors were also known to patronize the hotel. In 1990, Whoopi Goldberg was a guest at the Governor’s House while she filmed the movie The Long Walk Home.
By the 1990s, the Governor’s House Hotel was showing its age. Amenities like the horse stables and golf course were long gone. The area around the property was in a steady decline and the hotel went through a rebranding as an economy-class hotel. Visitors complained of mold in the rooms and unsanitary conditions. The Governor’s House had passed its heyday and was a mere shadow of its once glorious self. Before permanently closing, only a third of the building was in use.
According to news reports, city officials are confident the area may regenerate itself and would entertain the idea of abating some property tax to get a developer to renovate the old hotel. In April 2019, Montgomery firefighters responded to reports of a two-alarm fire at the property. There’s no power to the building, ruling out electrical issues that could lead to fires. Due to its secluded design, the site is a magnet for homeless and vandals. Several rooms appear to be occupied with makeshift doors in place. Numerous fires have been reported since the building first went up for auction in 2010.
In 2018, a sale was pending on the property, but the sale never materialized. A decade after closing, the Governor’s House Motel remains for sale. The site now belongs to the State of Alabama through a tax lien. The Department of Revenue owns the property, and anyone with $166,000 can take possession of this famous Montgomery landmark.
Thank you for reading. Please share the blog with your friends. I appreciate the support.
You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. For more amazing, abandoned locations from across Alabama, check out my books Abandoned Birmingham and Abandoned Alabama: Exploring the Heart of Dixie.
Abandoned Southeast 
Great post! Try to find some more abandoned motels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I am always on the lookout!
LikeLike
Hey have you explored the abandoned super 8 behind the former motel 6 governor’s house?
LikeLike
Bremen Lakeview Resort in Bremen Al. Which is in Cullman County
LikeLike
Another well done article with exquisite research. Thank you for what you do. Very much enjoyed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Laura! I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog.
LikeLike
Wow, I have fond memories of this place. My uncle owned this property for a couple years and really put forth an effort to bring it back to life. It’s sad to see it like this! I have many photos of this place in action and looking sharp! I’ll share if I can locate them!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would love to see them if you find them.
LikeLike
I’ll be sure to share!
LikeLike
There is speculation that there was a bar under the Rotunda Room. Do you know if this actually existed?
LikeLike
We as teenage children we had heard the same and spent many hours searching to no avail. I’m still searching for my stash of photos, I will come across them eventually!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My grandfather, Reavis Allen, was the property manager here in the 1960s. My father grew up here – they lived in the manager’s suite. Emailing you photos soon!
LikeLike
Love these kinds of articles about abandoned structures. Thank you for doing this. I know it’s very time-consuming.
LikeLike
Check out Swannanoa in Afton va…
Crazy storyline!
LikeLike
Great article. I was researching the Old Home Motel in Adamsville TN so see if it was still standing after this past tornado and came upon your article.
LikeLike
I remember riding by this place as a kid in the early 1990s and being told it was a ‘rich’ hotel. I watched that part of the boulevard decline over the 90s and it was sad. This isn’t far from what used to be a fun putt-putt golf place & the Montgomery Mall.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great informative article. Have you done one on the Ben Moore Motel & Majestic cafe downtown Montgomery?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, Jess. I have not been by the Ben Moore Motel but I read an article about it back a few years ago. Next time I am around that area, I will stop by if it is not too late.
LikeLike