Ducor Hotel

Last updated
Ducor Hotel
The swimming pool area of the former Ducor Palace Hotel in Monrovia, Liberia.jpg
Former pool area
Ducor Hotel
Former namesDucor Palace, Ducor Intercontinental Hotel
General information
Type Hotel
Location Liberia
AddressBroad Street, Monrovia
Coordinates 6°19′13″N10°48′49″W / 6.32028°N 10.81361°W / 6.32028; -10.81361
Elevation7 m (23 ft)
Current tenantsNone (formerly numerous squatters)
Inaugurated1960
Ownerformerly Intercontinental Hotels

The Ducor Hotel is an abandoned luxury hotel in Monrovia, Liberia. Established in 1960, it had 106 rooms on eight stories. [1] [2] The hotel has fallen into disrepair after being occupied by squatters who were removed before a failed effort at a Libyan-funded renovation. [3] The building sits on Ducor Hill, the highest point of the city, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Saint Paul River and Monrovia's West Point district. It is located at the end of Broad Street across from United Nations Boulevard in Monrovia's main business district.

Contents

History

The 120-room Ducor Palace Hotel opened in 1960, designed and built by Israeli industrialist Moshe Mayer. [4] It was the first international-class hotel in Liberia, and was for many years one of the few five-star hotels in all of Africa. [5] [6] The inauguration ceremony was an international affair, attended by President Sekou Toure of Guinea, and Israeli Foreign Minister Golda Meir, among others. [6] Intercontinental Hotels assumed operation on April 1, 1962 [7] and it was renamed the Ducor Intercontinental. [8] An extension to the hotel, with 110 more rooms and expanded meeting facilities, was completed in 1963. [9]

The Ducor Intercontinental hosted important meetings between African leaders. [10] Idi Amin is said to have swum in its pool while carrying his gun. [3] President Houphouet-Boigny of the Ivory Coast was so impressed with the hotel during his stay that he commissioned Mayer to erect a similar luxury hotel in Abidjan, the Hotel Ivoire. [11] The Ducor's various amenities, such as its pool, tennis courts, and a French restaurant, made it popular with tourists from the Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, as well as visiting professionals from the US, Europe, and Asia.

Inter-Continental Hotels ceased managing the hotel in 1987. [12] With political uncertainty looming, the Ducor Hotel closed in 1989, just before the coup led by Charles Taylor which ousted President Samuel Doe and marked the beginning of the First Liberian Civil War. The building endured much damage during this period, due both to the violence of the war and to postwar looting. During this time, displaced residents of many of Monrovia's slums began to occupy the hotel's empty rooms.

In 2007, the Ministry of Justice evicted the squatters residing in the hotel. [13] In 2008, the Government of Liberia signed a lease agreement with the Government of Libya, who began clearing the property of debris in 2010 in preparation for a bidding process to be completed by June 2010. [14] The Italian design firm Serapioni prepared models of the renovated hotel. [15] The project was delayed several times, before finally being abandoned upon Liberia's severing of diplomatic relations with the Gaddafi government following the outbreak of the 2011 Libyan civil war. [16]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monrovia</span> Capital, chief port, and the largest city of Liberia

Monrovia is the capital and largest city of Liberia. Founded in 1822, it is located on Cape Mesurado on the Atlantic coast and as of the 2022 census had 1,761,032 residents, home to 33.5% of Liberia’s total population. Its Metro Area including Montserrado and Margibi counties largely being urbanized, was home to 2,225,911 inhabitants as of the 2022 census. As the nation's primate city, Monrovia is the country's economic, financial and cultural center; its economy is primarily centered on its harbor and its role as the seat of Liberian government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterContinental</span> Brand of luxury hotels

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts is a British-American luxury hotel brand created in 1946 by Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. It has been part of UK-based InterContinental Hotels Group since 1998. As of January 2023, there were 208 InterContinental hotels worldwide, with 70,287 rooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hotel Inter-Continental Kabul</span> Five stars hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan

The Intercontinental Hotel Kabul is a five star hotel located in the Karte Parwan neighbourhood in western Kabul, Afghanistan. It served as the nation's first international luxury hotel, one of the most visited by foreigners since its opening in 1969, built nearby the Bagh-e Bala Palace. The hotel has 200 rooms and is equipped with a swimming pool, a gym, and about four restaurants for dine in or room service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roberts International Airport</span> Commercial airport near Monrovia, Liberia

Roberts International Airport, informally also known as Robertsfield, is an international airport in the West African nation of Liberia. Located near the town of Harbel in Margibi County, the single runway airport is about 35 miles (56 km) outside of the nation's capital of Monrovia, and as an origin and destination point is referred to as "Monrovia". Locally, it is often referred to as simply "RIA." The airport is named in honor of Joseph Jenkins Roberts, the first President of Liberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Liberia</span> Religion in Liberia

Islam in Liberia is practiced by an estimated 12.2% of the population. The vast majority of Liberian Muslims are Malikite Sunni, with sizeable Shia and Ahmadiyya minorities. The primary Muslim ethnic groups are the Vai and Mandingo but also Gbandi, Kpelle and other ethnic groups. Historically, Liberian Muslims have followed a relaxed and liberal form of Islam that is heavily influenced by indigenous religions that were integrated into Islam when it came to Liberia in the 16th century with the collapse of the Songhai Empire in Mali. Islamic religious practices vary in cities and towns across the country. Younger Liberian Muslims, particularly in the cities along the coast, tend to be more secular but still practice Islam in everyday life. In rural areas, Liberian Muslims are more conservative in dressing modestly, performing prayers and attending religious studies. The practice of Islam in Liberia has been compared to Islam common in Senegal and Gambia, with strong orientation toward Sufism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterContinental Miami</span> Hotel in Florida, United States

The InterContinental Miami is a luxury hotel in Downtown Miami, Florida. Opened in 1983, it is owned by Strategic Hotels & Resorts and operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts as part of its InterContinental portfolio.

Zah Rahan Krangar is a Liberian former professional footballer who plays as a midfielder. He has also played for the Liberia national team.

The InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut is a historic 5-star luxury hotel situated in the Minet El Hosn neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. It is located on Rue Fakhreddine near the Corniche Beirut promenade and walking-distance from Beirut Central District, and a few kilometers from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

The Liberia Broadcasting System (LBS) is a state-owned radio and television network in Liberia. Founded as a corporation in 1960, the network was owned and operated by Rediffusion until 1968, when management passed to the Government of Liberia. The network began broadcasting television as the Liberia Broadcasting Corporation in January 1964 over channel 6. Following the 1980 coup d’état, the newly formed People's Redemption Council gave the network its current name. As a result of the First Liberian Civil War, the company briefly ceased broadcasting in 1990, because the network's premises were heavily damaged by war and looters over the next seven years.

Moshe Mayer was a Romanian-Israeli architect, real estate developer and businessman. He was noted especially for his luxury hotels, including the Ducor Intercontinental Hotel in Monrovia (1960) and the Hotel Ivoire in Abidjan (1963) and his skyscrapers and residential palaces in Tel Aviv and other cities. His achievements in real estate and hotels in the 1960s saw him hailed by Haaretz as "man of the year" in 1970. They said of him, "The State of Israel is too small for Moshe Mayer. He is constructing housing, skyscrapers and luxury hotels, and building rivieras and presidential palaces. For over 20 years he has been hopping to and fro ... spending most of his time in airplanes or at his Geneva headquarters." By 1967 he was the wealthiest man in Israel and became Chairman of Mafit Trust Corporation Ltd. of Geneva, Switzerland. Due to his extreme wealth he amassed an extensive valuable art collection including many van Gogh originals which he left to the Tel Aviv Museum of Art before he died in September 1993 in Tel Aviv where he had lived for much of his life.

InterContinental Danang Sun Peninsula Resort is a resort & spa in Da Nang, Vietnam. It is one of the resorts under the management of InterContinental Hotels Group in Vietnam. The resort opened on June 1, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterContinental Paris Le Grand Hotel</span> Luxury hotel in Paris

The InterContinental Paris le Grand is a historic luxury hotel in Paris, France, which opened in 1862.

InterContinental Geneva is a luxury hotel operated by InterContinental in Geneva, Switzerland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">InterContinental Dhaka</span> Hotel in Dhaka , Bangladesh

The InterContinental Dhaka is a prominent luxury hotel in Ramna in central Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. It opened in 1966 and is owned by the Bangladeshi government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahmadiyya in Liberia</span> Islam in Liberia

Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious movement in Liberia. Founded in the year 1956, during the era of the Second Caliphate, the movement today represents an estimated 10% of the country's Muslim population. Approximately, this corresponds to 85,000 Ahmadi Muslims in Liberia. Current National President is Maulvi Naveed Ahmad Aadil.

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Monrovia, Liberia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liberia–Libya relations</span> Bilateral relations

Liberia–Libya relations have historically revolved around the respective policies of Libya and the Republic of Liberia toward external influence in Africa. This history is in large part founded in Liberia's commitments to its original sponsor, the United States, and the pan-African unity ambitions of Libyan despot Muammar Gaddafi. Gaddafi initially welcomed the overthrow of the longstanding Americo-Liberian regime by Samuel Doe but then also supported Charles Taylor in launching a civil war against Doe. Each country maintains an embassy in the other's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Siam InterContinental Hotel</span> Former Hotel in Bangkok,Thailand

The Siam InterContinental Hotel was a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. It stood on Rama I Road, in the neighbourhood now known as Siam in Pathum Wan District, on land leased from Sa Pathum Palace. It opened as part of Pan Am's InterContinental hotel chain in 1966, operated by the Bangkok Intercontinental Hotels Company. It stood until 2002 when it was demolished to make way for the Siam Paragon shopping mall. The Siam InterContinental was Bangkok's first luxury international-brand hotel, and was also particularly known for the striking design of its main building, by American architect Joseph P. Salerno.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squatting in Liberia</span>

Squatting in Liberia is one of three ways to access land, the other two being ownership by deed or customary ownership. The informal settlement West Point was founded in the capital Monrovia in the 1950s and is estimated to house between 29,500 and 75,000 people. During the First Liberian Civil War 1989–1997 and the Second Liberian Civil War 1999–2003, many people in Liberia were displaced and some ended up squatting in Monrovia. The Ducor Hotel fell into disrepair and was squatted, before being evicted in 2007. In the early 2020s, over 9,000 Burkinabés were squatting on remote land and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) announced a plan to title all land in the country.

Village Ivoire is a hospitality and entertainment district located on the banks of the Ébrié Lagoon, in the Cocody commune of Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. Its original building and centerpiece is Hôtel Ivoire, a luxury hotel. A prestige project for the young independent nation of Côte d'Ivoire, the district earned international notice for its lavish amenities, among them a now-closed artificial ice rink which was considered the first of its kind in the West African region. Shortly after its completion, a New York Times article called the Ivoire "sui generis, perhaps Africa's most dazzling hotel".

References

  1. ↑ Owen's African and Middle East commerce & travel and international register. Owen's Commerce & Travel, Ltd. 1962. p. 188. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Great Britain. Board of Trade (July 1961). Board of Trade journal. H.M. Stationery Off. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 Howden, Daniel (2012). "THE LAST GUEST". Roads and Kingdoms.
  4. ↑ "Page 131".
  5. ↑ Schwartz, Peggy; Schwartz, Murray (31 May 2011). The Dance Claimed Me: A Biography of Pearl Primus . Yale University Press. p.  147. ISBN   978-0-300-15534-1 . Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  6. 1 2 Yitzhak Oron, Ed. (1960). Middle East Record Volume 1, 1960. The Moshe Dayan Center. p. 312. GGKEY:3KXGTYPACX2. Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  7. ↑ "Page 131".
  8. ↑ "Ducor Inter-Continental Hotel, Monrovia, Liberia, Mr. Neal Prince, International Hotel Interior Designer, ASID".
  9. ↑ "Page 131".
  10. ↑ Huband, Mark (30 June 1998). The Liberian Civil War. Psychology Press. p. 21. ISBN   978-0-7146-4785-2 . Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  11. ↑ Ebony. Johnson Publishing Company. December 1970. p. 83. ISSN   0012-9011 . Retrieved 23 April 2012.
  12. ↑ "Ducor Inter-Continental Hotel, Monrovia, Liberia, Mr. Neal Prince, International Hotel Interior Designer, ASID".
  13. ↑ "Ministry of Information". Archived from the original on 2007-05-03. Retrieved 2008-11-09.
  14. ↑ http://www.libyaonline.com/business/details.php?id=14250%5B%5D
  15. ↑ "Ducor Palace Hotel - Monrovia, Liberia". Serapioni. Retrieved 12 October 2015.
  16. ↑ Fofana, Fatoumata N. (June 20, 2011). "Libya Defaulted on Projects". Daily Observer. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.