Once referred to as the “Grand Lady among Gulf Coast hotels,” the Tivoli Hotel now only exists in memory. It still would require site approval from the Mississippi Gaming Commission. In 2007, a $1 billion Tivoli Casino was proposed in East Biloxi but never built.īiloxi Council later rezoned the property as waterfront, which is necessary if a casino is to be built there. The structure was demolished in May 2006. However, the Tivoli was badly flooded and a large casino barge slammed into the southeast corner of the structure, killing 8 people.įollowing the storm, any plans to restore the Tivoli to its original state disappeared.

Several people living in the nearby Little Tivoli Motel attempted to take refuge in the old Tivoli Hotel during the storm. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina would deliver a fatal blow, with its winds of 120 mph and 27-foot tidal surge. A small glimmer of optimism emerged when Gulf Coast Investment Developers expressed interest in utilizing the original Tivoli as part of a larger residential complex. In 2003, the Mississippi Heritage Trust identified the Tivoli Hotel as one of the ten most endangered historical landmarks in Mississippi. Developers are proposing a $700 million casino and a convention center of the site of the hotel that was destroyed during Hurricane Katrina. During this decade, the main hotel building closed its doors to the public for good, while the Trade Winds Office and other amenities became part of the Biloxi Yacht Club.īiloxi’s Tivoli Hotel joined other large hotels opening in in 1927. The hotel’s owner, Jerry Kelly, attempted to sell the property throughout the ‘90s, but potential developers were hesitant to acquire the original structure. Meanwhile, a small motel was built nearby which was named “Little Tivoli.” The original Tivoli Hotel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, as part of the “Historic Resources of Biloxi.” Some minor additions and renovations were attempted in the ‘80s, but the hotel had lost its original reputation and appeal. By the 1970s, it had descended into a state of disrepair, before becoming an apartment complex for short-term guests.

Hurricane Camille severely damaged the hotel in 1969 and subsequent repairs failed to restore it to its former glory. However, stiff competition in the Gulf Coast hotel industry during the next two decades led to a decline in the Trade Wind’s fortunes. Eddie Meaut behind the bar in the Tivoli Hotel’s Champagne Room in Biloxi, Mississippi.

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