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Salem Academy and College to Renovate Historic Educational Building into Boutique Hotel

Winston-Salem, NC (November 8, 2024) – Salem Academy and College, the nation’s oldest continuously operating educational institution for girls and women in the United States, has announced Salem Academy’s historic educational building will be transformed into a 86-room boutique hotel. School leaders are excited to
contribute a piece of history to Winston-Salem’s evolving tourist landscape and to continue to draw visitors to the city. Winston-Salem was recently named home to a “Top Ten Downtown of America” by Forbes, solidifying it as a desirable destination for visitors.

The institution will work with Mayfair Hospitality Group who completed construction of Hotel Indigo, an Art Deco style hotel with 75 rooms, that opened in 2019. The hotel is located inside the historic Pepper Building which dates back to 1928.

The Academy building was constructed in 1930 and boasts 80,000 square feet, with three separate wings on seven acres of tree-lined, brick walkways. With such a beautiful backdrop, the hotel is envisioned to be an ideal wedding or event venue. With an expansive indoor layout planned, the hotel will also be ideal for conferences in the 250-person auditorium space and in well-appointed meeting rooms. The onsite restaurant and lounge could easily become a spot for locals to dine or entertain out-of-town visitors.

Boarding students lived in and took classes in the building from 1930 to 2020. In 2021, the Academy returned to its original location on main campus and now the Academy is the nation’s only all-girls boarding and day high school with a STEAM focus located on a college campus. Day students make up 50% of the student population. This location change and changing enrollment patterns made it a necessity for the institution to identify an appropriate use for the historic building that would bring financial benefits to Salem while benefiting the broader Winston-Salem community. Salem plans to use the proceeds from the hotel to support scholarships and strategic investments for the institution.

Salem president Summer McGee says that this project will create an opportunity to showcase and introduce Salem Academy’s rich history and educational experiences to guests while offering an opportunity to welcome home Salem’s alumnae and friends to the campus.

In seeking a partner for this project, experience in historic preservation was paramount for Salem. In terms of what the hotel will look like, Mayfair Group has created a mock-up of potential aesthetics, though no final design has been chosen and these may change.

“It’s just perfect for adaptive reuse. The bones and structure of the residences are in great shape,” said Simon Burgess, founder and managing director of Mayfair Group.

This renovation follows the city’s trend of repurposing historic buildings to welcome visitors. The yet-to-be-named hotel will place Salem on the map, alongside the Kimpton Cardinal Hotel located inside the 1929 Reynolds Tobacco Building, the 1928 Pepper Building which is now Hotel Indigo, and Graylyn Estate, which offers modern luxuries inside what was once the second largest private home in North Carolina.

Construction is expected to take between 12-24 months. The new hotel and restaurant is slated to open to the public in 2027.

About Salem Academy and College

Salem Academy and College is the nation’s oldest continuously operating educational institution for girls and women in the United States. Salem Academy is intentionally focused on STEAM to transform students’ education through the holistic integration of rigorous academic and co-curricular experiences that build character and leadership. Salem College provides women a liberal arts education with a distinctive focus on health leadership ensuring graduates understand the power, importance, and complexity of health in our society. Salem College prepares students for a range of career paths to lead in making the world a better, healthier, more equitable place and is the only national liberal arts college exclusively focused on health leadership.

For more than 250 years, Salem Academy and College has empowered and prepared girls and women from all around the world to effect change, shatter expectations and lead. Salem Academy and College is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a vibrant educational community known for arts and innovation.

News Media Contact

Amanda James
amanda.james@salem.edu

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