THE HISTORY

Jesse Driskill, a successful cattle baron, had moved to Texas from Missouri in 1849. Flush with cash from his service to the Confederate Army, to which he supplied beef throughout the Civil War, he decided to diversify by constructing a grand hotel in Austin. In 1884, Driskill purchased land at the corner of 6th and Brazos for $7,500 and announced his plans for the hotel.^[11]

The hotel held a grand opening on December 20, 1886, and was featured in a special edition of the Austin Daily Statesman. On January 1, 1887, Governor Sul Ross held his inaugural ball in its ballroom, beginning a tradition for every Texas governor since. In May 1887, less than a year after it opened, Driskill was forced to close the hotel, as he could no longer afford to operate the hotel following a harsh winter and drought that killed his cattle inventory. In addition, S.E. McIlhenny, the hotel’s general manager, and half of the staff were hired by the Beach Hotel in Galveston, which expedited the closure. Driskill sold the hotel in 1888 to his brother-in-law, Jim “Doc” Day, who reopened the hotel in January 1888.^]

Austin magnate George Littlefield, responsible for other Austin landmarks such as the Littlefield House, opened the Austin National Bank on the southeast corner of the building; the old bank vault still remains.^[6] Littlefield later purchased the hotel for $106,000 in 1895 and vowed that it would never close again. Littlefield invested over $60,000 in renovations, including ceiling frescoes, electric lighting, steam heating, and 28 additional lavatories, but still sold the hotel at a loss of $25,000 in 1903 to banking competitor, e.l. Wilmot. Under Wilmot’s ownership, the hotel was managed by hotelier W.L. Stark, who added a barbershop and women’s spa featuring Turkish baths, oversaw the construction of the annex, and adorned the former smoking room with eight antique Austrian gold leaf-framed mirrors previously owned by Maximilian and Carlota of Mexico.^[6]

In 1950, the hotel embarked on a renovation, which closed off the Sixth Street entrance and removed the rotunda’s skylight to make way for air conditioning units on the roof.^[7] In 1952, the former Austin National Bank was transformed into a television studio for KTBC, the very first television station in Central Texas.

In 1969, The Driskill closed its guest rooms in anticipation of a renovation and new tower containing a modern glass facade, which never materialized.^[13] Most of its furnishings were sold, and an American-Statesman article declared, “Driskill Hotel’s Fate ‘Sealed’.” The hotel was saved from the wrecking ball at almost the last minute, however, when a nonprofit organization called the Driskill Hotel Corporation raised $900,000.

Braniff International Hotels, Inc., a division of Braniff Airways, Inc., of Dallas, Texas, bought the hotel in 1972 and began a $350,000 restoration of the grand lobby of the historic facility. Braniff reopened the hotel to customers on January 15, 1973, to very strong bookings and conference business. Braniff threw an official grand reopening celebration on February 10, 1973. Over 1000 guests attended the gala event that included a parade of every Texas Governor and/or their descendants, since 1886. All proceeds from the event went to the Austin Heritage Society, who was strategically instrumental in the resurrection of the Hotel Driskill.

In 1995, The Driskill was purchased by Great American Life Insurance, who embarked on a $30 million renovation to restore the hotel to its original appearance, which had been heavily modified over the years. The hotel closed for four years for renovation work and was re-opened in a Millennium celebration on December 31, 1999.

In 2013, The Driskill was purchased by Hyatt Hotels Corporation for $85 million, who embarked on an $8 million renovation of the hotel. Hyatt sold the hotel to Dallas-based Woodbine Development in May 2022 for $125 million.

In addition to its beautiful architecture and rich history, The Driskill continues to draw attention due to its host of tragedies and rumors of paranormal activity. The hotel is said to be home to more than one ghosts, including seven-year-old Samantha, who died after falling down the Grand Staircase.

From Wikipedia

THE ARCHITECT

he Driskill is composed of two interconnected buildings; the original four-story Romanesque Revival building constructed in 1886, and a 13-story annex constructed in 1930.

The original building, designed by local Austin architect Jasper N. Preston, was constructed with over six million pressed bricks and white limestone accents. The building contains two porticos on the southern and eastern facades, which contain large Richardsonian-style arches that were reputed to be the largest in Texas.^[7] The facade contains three limestone busts of Driskill and his sons; J.W. “Bud” Driskill facing Brazos Street, A. W. “Tobe” Driskill facing an alley on the west side, and Jesse Driskill facing Sixth Street, whose bust is surrounded by decorative carvings including longhorns on the gable ends.

The hotel opened with 60 rooms including 12 corner rooms with attached baths, a rare feature in hotels of the region at the time. At the center of the hotel was a four-story open rotunda capped by a domed skylight, which functioned as a flue to suck up the hot air and cool the building; the skylight was removed when air conditioning was installed on the roof in 1950. The building was designed for separate entrances for men and women. Two entrances, one on Sixth Street and another facing the alleyway on the west side the building, were reserved for men and were flanked by a saloon, billiard room, cigar shop, a newsstand and a barbershop featuring baths. The women’s entrance on Brazos Street allowed female guests to proceed directly to their rooms, thereby avoiding the cigar smoke and rough talk of the cattlemen in the lobby. The second floor contained the main dining room and ballroom, separate parlors for men and women, a children’s dining room, and bridal suites. Other embellishments included an electric bell system, marble bureaus, steam heating, and gas lighting.

The 13-story annex, designed by the El Paso architecture firm Trost & Trost, opened in 1930. The 180-room annex contains a bungalow penthouse that is only accessible from the building’s roof. The bungalow contains two bedrooms with private baths, a living room, and a full kitchen. The bungalow was originally used as a private residence by superintendents of the Southern Pacific Railroad, but was later rented to high-profile guests including Jack Dempsey, Bob Hope, and President Lyndon Johnson. In 1979, the hotel manager restored the bungalow to use as his private residence

 

 

THE COWBOY.

Jesse Driskill is said to haunt the hotel. Shortly after the hotel opened up, Jesse came under the pressures of financial hardship. That’s code for. “He blew his earnings on booze, women, and gambling.”  Jesse had no choice but to forfeit the ownership of the Driskill almost immediately after it opened up. A game of cards did the cowboy in. Jesse lost the deed at the poker table. By that point, he was a mess and up to his eyeballs in debt.

“One of my most favorite stories is one of the few sightings we’ve had of Colonel Driskill. One of his favorite rooms in the Driskill overlooks 6th Street & Brazos, and there was a consultant in town who woke up one night to see a gentleman standing in his room, looking out the window about three o’clock in the morning, puffing on a cigar. He sat up in bed and said, ‘hey fella, what the hell are you doing in my room?’ He said the guy looked at him and gave him this look, like, your room? But he didn’t say anything. The consultant leaned over and snapped on the light by the bed and when the light came on there was no one standing by the window, but the curtains were still swaying and there was a cloud of cigar smoke in the air.”

A quote from the REAL Austin Ghost Tours guide Monica Ballard, author of True Haunted Tales of the Driskill Hotel.

 

THE BRIDE.

“In the early 1990s, a distraught bride checked into Room 329 of the Driskill. Her fiancé had just called off their wedding. The woman decided to blow over 40k on a shopping spree and culinary free-for-all on her second day of mourning. On the third, she lined up all her swag next to her bed, pulled out a gun, and blew her head off; she used a pillow to muffle the sound of the round. To this day, guests swear they see her ghost towing bags up and down the halls of the hotel.”

The above quote is from a franchise ghost tour company based out of New York. It was written by their employees in India. No one from the company has been to Austin or any of the tours around the country. Like the CEO of McDonalds doesn’t visit all of their stories. But Ghost Tours are traditional local and the stories told based on historic fact. Take our tour the REAL Austin Ghost Tour and learn the real story. We have the police report. Join us and let’s talk about the Driskill Hotel.

THE CHILD.

Another of the ghost said to haunt the Driskill is that of a child who died after plummeting to his death down a flight of stairs. The kid made a grab for his bouncy ball and overreached. Paranormal investigators have managed to catch the faint sound of a ball ping-ponging against walls while a mischievous voice giggles.

THE PAINTING.

Another folk story surrounding the Driskill is that of a painting found on the fifth floor of the hotel. The artwork is unnamed, but it’s based on a painting by Charles Garland called, “Love Letter” and it’s an unnerving piece brought to life by Richard King. But really it was commissioned by an artist whom no one knows. It depicts a little girl holding a bouquet of flowers in one and hand and a letter in the other. Ghost hunters claim that the painting depicts the four-year-old daughter of U.S. Senator Temple Lea Houston who died in a horrible accident at the hotel. The painting is said to be haunted and people who stroll by it constantly feel the presence of something sinister riding their coattails until they vacate the cursed building.

LBJ and Lady Bird went on their first date in 1934 in the Driskill’s Dining room. For years, they flocked to the place to not only relive their glory days but for special occasions. The Driskill became Lyndon Johnson’s favorite place when he visited Austin.