The Princess Anne Hotel, completed in 1924, was named for Anne O’Connell, a registered nurse and owner of a nearby tuberculosis sanitarium. Because of O’Connell’s charismatic and charming nature, her patients lovingly referred to her as “Princess Anne.”
When the Princess Anne Hotel opened in Asheville, people from all around came to stay!
The three-story, shingle-style hotel was built on Chestnut Street in the heart of an architecturally rich, residential historic district. George Anderson Mercer, the father of singer-songwriter Johnny Mercer who is best remembered for his ballad “Moon River,” financed the construction of the Princess Anne.
The hotel’s original motto, “Comfort First,” described its mission to cater to the families of sanitarium patients who came to Asheville from across the country seeking treatment from world-renown tuberculosis specialist Dr. Karl Von Ruck. O’Connell ran the hotel for several years before selling it in 1929 to Mercer Company. The Princess Anne continued to operate as a hotel under various owners until 1945.
