Opened in 1925, the Hotel Grim became an iconic symbol of downtown Texarkana, Texas. The hotel was built at a cost of $600,000 and featured 8 stories with 250 rooms. The elegant hotel was designed by architects George Mann and Eugene Stern of Little Rock.

The unique name of the hotel was in honor of William Rhodes Grim. Grim and a group of prominent businessmen planned the project to serve train passengers. Grim was the president of Texarkana National Bank and a member of the board of directors for the Kansas City Southern Railroad. Sadly, Grim died during the planning stages of the hotel and the other developers named the building in his honor.

The massive complex is built in a "V" shape to fit the irregular triangular lot it occupies. The exterior is built of stone, brick and stucco and features an Imperial Spanish tile roof. The ornately decorated lobby featured stone walls and marble wainscoting with a Black Belgian marble base and White Alabama marble floor. The Palm Court reflected a Spanish influence in the design. The Mezzanine level spotlighted by wrought bronze railings included several local businesses including a beauty parlor, barber shop, drug store, coffee shop and private dining room. An elegant roof top garden offered an expansive and breathtaking view of the city. The garden could quickly be converted to a rooftop ballroom. No expense was spared during construction.

The Hotel Grim was the epicenter of booming Texarkana in the 1920s and 1930s. Built during the heyday of the Jazz Age, visitors can almost hear the long forgotten music emanating from what must have been a glorious hotel. The hotel sat on the Texas side of the bustling downtown district and in 1934 local radio station KCMC established a broadcasting studio inside the hotel. Notorious outlaws, Bonnie and Clyde were rumored to have stopped by the hotel on their way to Louisiana where they died in a gunfight with police. The legendary Glen Miller band and other popular big bands of the day performed at the hotel.

Sadly, as the passenger train travel declined so did the Hotel Grim. In 1976 scenes from the movie "The Town That Dreaded Sundown" were shot there. The movie was based on Texarkana's Phantom Killer. The Hotel Grim closed her doors in 1990.

Now, she looms over the down town district with her blank broken windows and boarded up doors. Even abandoned, the hotel is awe inspiring. Structurally, the old girl remains in good condition, waiting for the world to rediscover her again.

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