Horace Sudduth, a Black Cincinnati businessman born in 1888, provided lodging and food for Black travelers during segregation at the Manse Hotel & Annex he owned in Walnut Hills.
City officials and community members will honor the work and legacy of Sudduth by dedicating a new permanent Ohio historic marker at the corner of Chapel and Monfort Streets in Walnut Hills. The event will take place at 10 a.m., May 12.
Sudduth, who died in 1957, was said to be the wealthiest Black man of his generation in Cincinnati. Patrons of the Manse Hotel included Thurgood Marshall, who would become the first Black Supreme Court Justice, and pioneering Major League Baseball legend Jackie Robinson.
After the dedication, a reception hosted by Episcopal Retirement Services will take place in The Manse community room – formerly the hotel’s ballroom. The dedication and reception are free and open to the public. Speakers and performers confirmed for the event are::
- Jan-Michele Lemon Kearney, Cincinnati vice mayor
- Bernie McKay, president and CEO, Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation
- Kathryne Gardette, president, Walnut Hills Area Council
- Gina Ruffin Moore, author and board vice president, Friends of Harriet Beecher Stowe House
- Aaron Scott, minister, First Baptist Church of Walnut Hills
- Svetlana Ter-Grigoryan, community engagement coordinator, Ohio History Connection
- Steve Smith, principal, The Model Group
- Jimmy Wilson – Vice President of Affordable Living, Episcopal Retirement Services
- Cincinnati Choral Academy @ Frederick Douglass Elementary School, led by Lawrence E. Coleman, Sr.
This Ohio Historic Marker was funded by the Carol Ann & Ralph V. Haile, Jr. Foundation and the African American Chamber of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. The Manse is currently operated by Episcopal Retirement Services as 60 affordable housing units for seniors with limited incomes.