In a milestone for Paducah’s Hotel Metropolitan, the nonprofit recently announced the hiring of its first paid staff member who will help lead the African American historical and cultural museum into the future.
Western Kentucky native Dr. MarTeze Hammonds officially began his work as the Hotel Metropolitan’s new executive director at the beginning of June.
Coming into the position, Hammonds said he wants to continue the museum’s goal of preserving the site’s important story, while also working to share its legacy with wider audiences.
“I am very adamant about telling the story from the perspective of, it's not just Black history or African American history. This is our history,” Hammonds said.
The historic site, built in 1908, originally provided a safe place for Black travellers passing through western Kentucky during the Jim Crow era to stay. The hotel was also a notable stop for musicians touring on the Chitlin’ Circuit such as Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles and B.B. King.
After it ceased hotel operations 30 years ago, local historian Betty Dobson along with other volunteers transformed the Hotel Metropolitan into an African American heritage museum as a way of preserving the history of the site and region, while also saving the building from possible demolition.
Moving forward, Hammonds said he wants to expand community outreach through local branding as well as creating more opportunities for people to visit the Hotel Metropolitan. One way he hopes to do this is by working with local schools to have students take field trips to the museum.
“I believe that before a student gets into middle school, or when they get into middle school, they should have stepped foot in the Hotel Metropolitan to learn its history… [and to] embody and embed this history into our school systems’ curriculum,” Hammonds said.
Before he can get to what he envisions for the future, Hammonds said he first has to focus on where the museum stands currently.
“I had to walk in on day one and figure out what kind of computer, what kind of telephone… you name it [that we had],” Hammonds said. “So it is almost [like starting] a startup – but they have done an amazing job at curating and stewarding the artifacts. So now my job is to make us go to the next level, so that it's not just a hidden gem, but it's a… national treasure.”
Hammonds’ executive director position is funded through the Upper Town Heritage Foundation and City of Paducah’s co-stewardship agreement in combination with over $1 million in grant funding the city received on behalf of the nonprofit in 2024.
