After 16 months of working with a growing number of community supporters and partners The Dumas Hotel Legacy, Inc. has signed a fully executed contract with Total Action for Progress, Inc. for purchase of the historic Dumas Hotel on Henry Street in downtown Roanoke.
The agreement represents a concerted effort on the part of the DHL, Inc. to create and grow a community-wide campaign to secure community ownership of the Dumas that was once the centerpiece property of Henry Street and a bigger Black business district which had over 270 businesses producing over 7100 permanent jobs yearly. The Dumas was also host to major community social and cultural events. The Hotel during segregation hosted important guests that ranged from WWII soldiers who could not stay in white owned hotels to jazz and other music royalty such as Fats Domino, Duke Ellington, James Brown, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and many others.
Due to a confidentiality agreement regarding the details of the contract, the pending owners (DHL, Inc.) cannot discuss contract particulars until after completion of the sale. DHL, Inc. is committed to “…keeping the rich history of the Dumas alive so that the community will enjoy its presence for years to come.”
With an executed contract in hand, the DHL is moving forward with the following priorities:
• A Community meeting was held on Monday, Aug. 13, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church (5th & Gilmer Avenue NW) to solicit even broader participation and support. Fulfilling the agreed upon purchase terms of the contract with TAP; • Completing negotiations with four lending institutions for purchase financing; • Ramping up an ambitious Fundraising Campaign ($500,000.00) for down payment funds and operational costs for first years of ownership. TheInitial Goal is by January 2019; and • Recruiting community, corporate and public partners to work to make the Dumas a regional space for Arts, Technology and Culture.
Over the next month DHL, Inc will be making major announcements regarding potential local, regional and national partners to help DHL, Inc. launch the Dumas property into a future of significant impact and opportunity.
DHL, Inc. Board of Directors, and the Dumas Community Steering Committee as well as the growing number of supporters are all committed to the Dumas being a space that brings people, cultures and races together for maximum economic, educational, social and cultural outcomes and above all, a place of reconciliation!
