Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / United States / Birmingham / Elyton Hotel
Elyton Hotel
Birmingham, Alabama, United States · Autograph Collection · Accessible Luxury
It occupies Birmingham's 1909 Empire Building, a 16-story molded-terra-cotta Classical Revival skyscraper by William Leslie Welton that was Alabama's tallest at completion and still anchors the intersection nicknamed the Heaviest Corner on Earth. Investor John Tampa converted the mostly vacant tower into the 117-room Elyton Hotel, named for the town that predated Birmingham, which opened in summer 2017 with The Yard restaurant and The Moon Shine rooftop bar.
- 117 rooms
- Opened 2017
- Neighborhood: Heaviest Corner
- Architect: William Leslie Welton
About Elyton Hotel
- Sculpted busts on the facade depict architect William Leslie Welton as Emperor William and construction superintendent Frederick Larkin as Frederick the Great.
- The Empire Building was among the first steel-frame skyscrapers in the South and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- The conversion was originally slated to reopen as the Empire Hotel before the Elyton name won out.
- The Moon Shine is the rooftop bar atop the 1909 Empire Building.
History
The Elyton Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama, occupies the historic Empire Building at 1928 1st Avenue North, a 16-story, 247-foot Classical Revival skyscraper built in 1909 and clad entirely in molded terra cotta. It was designed by architect William Leslie Welton and, upon completion, stood as the tallest building in Alabama and among the first steel-frame skyscrapers in the South, anchoring the corner known as the 'Heaviest Corner on Earth.' Sculpted busts on the facade represent architect Welton (as Emperor William) and construction superintendent Frederick Larkin (as Frederick the Great).
Investor John Tampa of Ascent Hospitality purchased the mostly vacant building in 2012 and, in a roughly $45 million project announced in 2015, converted it into a luxury hotel. Originally to be named the Empire Hotel, the 117-room Elyton Hotel opened in summer 2017 as part of Marriott's Autograph Collection. Its name honors 'Elyton,' the town that predated Birmingham. Dining includes The Yard restaurant and The Moon Shine rooftop bar.
The setting
15-minute walk to Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. 1 mile from Interstate 65.
Restaurants and bars
- Moon Shine — Restaurant
Amenities
- Fitness center
- Rooftop bar
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
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