Markham Hotel reopens in Gulfport after 56 years

GULFPORT, Miss. (WLOX) — The Markham Hotel reopened 56 years after it originally closed in 1970 as a hotel.

The Markham Hotel reopened 56 years after it originally closed in 1970 as a hotel. (wlox)

The building has sat in downtown Gulfport since 1926. Former staff said the renovation is a sight to see after many years of sitting empty.

“Unbelievable. They’ve done a fabulous job,” one attendee said.

The ribbon was cut on the newly renovated Markham Hotel in downtown Gulfport. The building originally opened in 1926 as a hotel, then closed in 1970. The property sits at the corner of 14th Street and 23rd Avenue.

The ribbon was cut on the newly renovated Markham Hotel in downtown Gulfport. (wlox)

Former employees recall working at hotel

Throughout the building’s history, many locals were part of the original hotel and returned to see the Markham Hotel come back to life.

Ann Johnson worked at the coffee shop from 1954 to 1956, when coffee was a dime. Johnson was part of the hotel staff 70 years ago, brewing up coffee on the northeast side of the Markham Hotel, or as it was called back then, Hotel Markham. She said some of her favorite memories involve the mode of transportation from floor to floor.

“The elevator when they pulled the gate and they have the crank on the back and you could watch when you went up and down. It was amazing,” Johnson said.

Ann Johnson worked at the coffee shop from 1954 to 1956 when coffee was a dime. (wlox)

William Moorman, or Bill, knows the elevator well. Moorman is 93 years old and worked at Hotel Markham from 1947 until 1949. He worked the overnight shift as an elevator operator while attending high school. Moorman said, despite his hectic schedule 77 years ago, it was a dream for his teenage self to work at such a hotel.

“Worked with great people and the hotel was just a dream to me,” Moorman said.

Former employees return to see downtown landmark restored after decades sitting empty (wlox)

While Moorman was up and down the elevator, Theresa Borzik’s father was in the basement working as an engineer.

“This was me when I was little and he was working here,” Borzik said.

Borzik has kept a binder full of pictures and artifacts remembering Hotel Markham and her father. She said the building was beautiful until Hurricanes Camille and Katrina hit the Coast.