1929 1
The Roosevelt Hotel was a hotel at 29th and San Pablo, constructed in 1929.
It was built and owned by Edward Sommarstrom, and run by W.A. Leonard and Thomas M. Fitzpatrick.
By 1953, the name was changed to the Ebony Plaza Hotel. 2,3,6 The Ebony Plaza is listed in the 1954, 1955 and 1956 Green Book.
Blues musician Bobby "Hurricane" Spencer mentions it in an interview:
"I remember when I lived in Oakland at the Ebony Plaza hotel – a cheap hotel with roaches and prostitutes. That was the flavor of the blues. This is where the music came from and though I don’t want to return to the Ebony Hotel, playing in a joint helps me remember those days." 4
There was a four-alarm fire at the then abandoned hotel in 1997. 5 The building was demolished in [ ? ].
1951 Sanborn excerpt
Links and References
- Roosevelt Hotel Now Open Here Oakland Tribune May 12, 1929
- 3 Held After 2 Shots Fired At Police Oakland Tribune February 15, 1973
- Business and Industry in Eastbay Oakland Tribune January 19, 1953
- Bobby “Hurricane” Spencer: The Bluesman blues.gr
- Abandoned Hotel Hit By Four-Alarm Fire SFGate.com September 28, 1997
- Open 200-Room Hotel In Oakland Jet February 5, 1953
