The Orange Hotel, is a contributing structure within the Downtown Tobacco Warehouse District, and has Landmark status. Built in 1906 for Samuel Vick, a pioneer in Wilson’s African American Community, the Orange Hotel was the first hotel for blacks in Wilson and it served as a social center for the African American community early in the century.
Through the years, the Orange Hotel has had a variety of uses. One of its most prominent owners was Ms. Mattie B. Coleman. It has been documented that originally, the hotel was heavily frequented by the Chauffeur’s of wealthier non-black travelers who would often stay at the nearby Cherry Hotel. Unable to patronize the hotels of their bosses, the Orange Hotel provided the chauffeurs with adequate room and board.
Also, traveling ministers, musicians, factory workers, and black soldiers patronized the hotel. One of the most notable patrons of the Orange Hotel was musical legend B. B. King. In addition to B.B. King, The Carolina Stompers, then a popular music group, would often stay at the Orange Hotel when in town to play for both black and white audiences. The Orange Hotel is the last surviving early wood frame hotel in Wilson.
The City of Wilson, located 40 minutes east of downtown Raleigh at the intersection of I-95 and US Highway 264, is the 18th largest municipality in North Carolina, the county seat, and the historic banking heart of the eastern part of the state. Wilson, a center for manufacturing, a hub for pharmaceutical companies, boasts some of the fastest internet speeds in the country, and on-demand public transit. In recent years, Wilson has experienced a downtown renaissance with a number of new public and private real estate investment. Some of the area highlights include:
To download a copy of the Orange Hotel Request For Proposal (RFP), please click here.