Campbell Hotel

Campbell Hotel

541 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Boulevard

During the Jim Crow era, Blacks wishing to spend the night in Daytona Beach had limited options: stay with a friend or relative or in a Black boarding house or hotel. The Negro Green Book, was a Black travel guide published in the ’30s, ’40s and ’50s. The foreword of the Spring 1956 Edition of the guide states: “The White traveler has had no difficulty in getting accommodations, but with the Negro it has been different. He, before the advent of a Negro travel guide, had to depend on word of mouth, and many times accommodations were not available. Now things are different. The Negro traveler can depend on the "GREEN BOOK" for all the information he wants, and has a wide selection to choose from. Hence this guide has made traveling more popular, without encountering embarrassing situations.”

The Spring 1956 edition of the Negro Traveler’s Green Book lists Campbell Hotel, on page 15, as the only hotel in Daytona Beach, Florida, for Blacks. Owned by husband and wife, Leigh and Minnie Wiggins Campbell, the Campbell Hotel was one of the few Black hotels in Daytona Beach during the 1950s. The hotel housed the Stardust nightclub, a venue for Black musicians, with iconic jazz trumpet player, Dizzy Gillespie and other notable musicians performing there.

It was not until after the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act that Blacks would freely be admitted to the many hotels, motels, restaurants and clubs in Daytona Beach. With integration, and the ability to exercise freedom and stay anywhere, establishments such as the Campbell Hotel fell into disrepair. In 2023, a fire caused substantial damage to the structure.

Timeline

1950s - Only Black Hotel in Daytona Beach

1956 - Listed in The Negro Travelers’ Green Book

1964 - Civil Rights Passed; Urban Renewal contributed to Blight

2023 - Fire Destroyed Building

2024 - The city of Daytona Beach purchased the property