History of The Craddock Terry Hotel, Lynchburg, VA
In 1888, The Craddock Terry Shoe Company was founded by John W. Craddock. The shoe company began a legacy in Lynchburg and grew into the 5th largest shoe company in the world.
The original Southland Factory was situated in the empty lot adjacent to Waterstone Pizza on Jefferson Street. With rapidly increasing demands, the Southland Factory was unable to keep up with orders with just one factory. In 1905, the main building of the Craddock Terry Hotel was built as The Craddock Terry Southland Annex.
Built on the edge of the James River, the shoe company factory immediately became the backbone of Lynchburg's commercial success. During the peak of their success, the factory produced over 100,000 pairs of shoes every day, including women's shoes, baby shoes, combat boots, and more.
The other half of our Lynchburg hotel, the King building, is housed in the William King Jr. Tobacco Warehouse. The building was used for storing dried and drying tobacco by the Imperial Tobacco Company.
Hal Craddock, the Great-grandson of John W. Craddock, was the chief architect and interior designer of the Craddock Terry Hotel. He worked with his business partner Lynn Cunningham for this project. It took nearly five years to restore both the buildings. In 2007, the original factory and the historic William King Building were fully converted into the Craddock Terry Hotel and Event Center.
During the renovation great care was taken to retain the original industrial feel by using exposed wood beam ceilings, brick, stone exterior walls, and nine-foot-tall windows.
Shoes are celebrated at the Craddock Terry Hotel with whimsical touches, including complimentary in-room continental breakfast served in an old-fashioned wooden shoeshine box, shoe-shaped signs to label each guestroom door, and shoeshine service available upon request. The hotel decor is accented with a unique collection of shoe memorabilia, which further ode the building's unique heritage.