Pennant Hotels and Taverns in Missouri

Under the direction of the company’s new president, E. D. Levy, Pierce opened hotels and restaurants on major highways in 1928 and 1929. Levy, a former vice-president with the Frisco, used his 20 years of selling the transportation business to sell the idea of automobile travel.

Built in a Spanish style with three-toned stucco, brown stone, and green tile roofs the first location opened on July 16, 1928. It consisted of three buildings; a bus station with restaurant, soda fountain, and restrooms; a fuel station, and a grease house with a car wash.

The next location and first hotel was in Columbia, Missouri off Route 40. Designed by St. Louis architect, Beverly T. Nelson, the hotels were of a similar design built in a colonial revival style.The Columbia Pennant Hotel and Terminal opened on July 7, 1929.

The second Pierce Pennant Hotel opened on November 4, 1929. The hotel was advertised as the only ‘first class’ accommodation between Springfield and St. Louis at the time. It boasted underground parking, private bathrooms, and the finest amenities.

The Pennant Terminal (later called the Tavern) in Rolla was located on Route 66 at Cedar Street and opened in August 1928.  The business offered not only a hopping off point for bus lines but also included a spacious dining room and space enough to hold dances.

As with many businesses the Great Depression took a toll on Pierce leading to bankruptcy. In May 1930, the Sinclair Oil Co. purchased the Pierce Petroleum Co. for $25,000,000. They also took over ownership of the hotels and terminals which now went by the name Sinclair Pennant.

Their ownership of the properties did not last long, Sinclair began selling individual businesses as early as 1936. Most continued on as hotels, restaurants, and terminals, at least for a time. Renovations, fires, and alterations over time made most of them unrecognizable.