DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – A historic Daytona Beach hotel, the Campbell Hotel, is on the brink of demolition after the city purchased the building with plans to tear it down.
The Campbell Hotel, located in Midtown Daytona, was the only hotel where Black residents could stay during segregation. It hosted famous musicians like Dizzy Gillespie and athletes such as Jackie Robinson, who stayed there when he integrated minor league baseball at the nearby ballpark.
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Local residents have now formed a group to try to save the hotel from demolition, hoping to preserve its rich history.
“My mom has always talked about the Campbell Hotel and of course about this road — Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard — which was once Second Avenue and she always talks about how sparkling and how exciting it was back in the day,” said Kim Moten, a Daytona Beach resident who grew up nearby.
Moten and others want to see the boulevard and the hotel come back to life.
“They should do everything to keep it, restructure it, and do great things there. Something that would be inspiring to the community,” she said.
The building was condemned in 2023 after a fire. The city bought the hotel last year and paid for a structural assessment. Officials decided demolition was the most feasible option due to the high cost of restoration.
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However, at last week’s city commission meeting, residents voiced their desire to save the hotel. The city is now offering a 90-day window for interested parties to submit proposals to purchase and restore the building.
Local historian Harold Lucas Jr. supports saving the hotel but stresses the importance of having a clear plan.
“I would be interested to see what they plan to do with it before I pass judgment on whether they should tear it down or not,” he said.
Lucas also emphasized the hotel’s value beyond history.
“It might be worth saving but not just for its historical value but for the value of the community because urban renewal came through and tore other things down and they haven’t replaced them yet,” he said.