The history of Indianapolis' grand Marott Hotel

When the Marott Hotel opened at Meridian Street and North Fall Creek Boulevard in 1926, it was a culmination of 30 years planning for George J. Marott.

George Marott was born in Daventry, Northamptonshire, England. Marott came to America with his parents from England in 1875 and started his Indianapolis shoe store in 1884.Eventually one shoe store became several, then the hotel. He later helped organize Citizens Gas Company. 

The hotel was his pride and joy, but it wasn’t just a hotel, it was a place where Indianapolis’ high society resided just as New York society would at the Waldorf-Astoria or the Plaza Hotel. Booth Tarkington, Meredith Nicholson and widows of Indianapolis’ long-dead tycoons all took up residence.

“I saw in this property,” Marott said, “the opportunity some to erect some kind of a monumental edifice to the city which I have loved so well and as the time draws near for the realization of a dream, I am convinced anew that my dreams to hold this property for the purpose to which it now is dedicated have been fulfilled.” 

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Limousines lined the semi-circular drive as visitors in their tails and minks arrived to be entertained in the Marott’s Marble Ball Room, Reef Room and Crystal Dining Room.

The hotel guest list is as impressive as the structure itself: Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Marilyn Monroe, John F. Kennedy, Bob Hope, Babe Ruth, Herbert Hoover, Helen Hays and Lauren Bacall.

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In 1932, Winston Churchill, then a member of British Parliament, arrived in Indianapolis by train with his daughter, Diana. They were given a hearty welcome by Indianapolis dignitaries, including Mayor Reginald Sullivan, then spirited away to the Marott Hotel where they stayed. That evening Churchill spoke before a crowd of 1,200 at the Murat Theater on the “destiny of English-speaking peoples.”

Churchill was still nursing wounds suffered in a car accident on New York’s 5th Avenue just months before and did little Indianapolis sightseeing or socializing, but he was entertained by his fellow countryman, George Marott. 

Churchill was so impressed with the hotel that he carried back to England a complete plan of the hotel.Marott and Churchill developed a friendship that lasted until Marott’s death in 1946.

A 1940 Indianapolis Star article noted Marott’s career attracted the attention of numerous authors who wanted to write a book about his life, which he found distasteful. Churchill was the most eminent author he refused. When Churchill returned to England, he sent Marott one of his books — an autobiography as proof of his writing ability. Marott cherished the autographed book, even though his name was misspelled “Marrot.”

By the 1970s, the Marott had gone through several owners and become low-income apartments. The Marott got a shot in the arm with extensive renovations, and today the Marott apartments are owned by Van Rooy Companies. The hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Follow IndyStar Visuals Manager and Retro Indy writer Dawn Mitchell on Twitter: @dawn_mitchell61.