In 1902 Dr. Fleetwood Butts bought the Donnally Building on Capitol St. that was built by Moses Donnally in 1891, which was home of the Donnally Publishing Co., better known as the Gazette Building because the newspaper was printed there. That became the first Fleetwood Hotel. He built a one-story building in the alley next door which became the bar and writing room for his hotel. He bought the building next to that. He tore out the bar and writing room, built a four-story building there, chopped off the fifth floor of the first building so it would match, joined those buildings, connected them to another hotel on Summers Street and called it all the Fleetwood.

In 1911 you could have a room at the Fleetwood for 75 cents, take a bath for a dime, and buy a stamp for 2 cents. A major fire in 1936 was the turning point in its history. After the fire it became a low rent hotel until it closed in 1958. Dr. Butts died on July 20, 1953. In the Daily Mail newspaper, it is recorded on Nov. 14, 1977 that “the owners of the most downtown property-eight parcels- in Charleston are Edward A. and Henry P. Butts,” Dr. Fleetwood Butts’ two sons. After being empty for 30 years, the Fleetwood was torn down in the summer of 1988.  Photos by Eddie Butts