A while back I blogged about the unfortunate situation surrounding the Purple Hotel, a local landmark just north of Chicago which was facing demolition. That situation still hasn’t been resolved, although the hotel is closed. Yesterday, I heard of another landmark hotel which is slated for destruction.

The Brickyard Crossing Inn was built in 1963 alongside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The 96-room hotel was the first hotel in the immediate area. For many years, simply getting a room at the BCI during the month of May was nearly impossible. The hotel had many significant moments. The Beatles stayed there once and created a traffic jam as word spread. Paul Newman filmed part of his movie Winning at the hotel. After winning the inaugural Brickyard 400, NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon celebrated his win by ordering pizza in his room there.

In the early days of the BCI, NASCAR (like most professional sports) wasn’t nearly the mega-bucks business that it is today. Most of the drivers and race officials stayed at the BCI. Now, drivers have posh vans for their living needs while they are at the track.

The BCI (like the Purple Hotel) simply has become outdated. Unfortunately, it is so outdated that the cost to bring it up to speed (pun intended) is too much. The problems are twofold: form and function. Upgrading would require too much capital investment as opposed to simply building something else. Larry Foyt (son of legendary driver AJ Foyt) stayed at the BCI in recent years, but he brought in his own high-definition television. He reportedly joked that the BCI’s TV wasn’t compatible with his Xbox. Sadly, it really wasn’t a joke.

Things like in-room high-definition TVs are now the norm, even at mid-range hotels. That’s really just one small component. This closure will not affect the main building of Brickyard Crossing, which houses the Brickyard Crossing Golf Course, Golf Shop, the Flag Room pub, a restaurant and conference room space. For these, it will be business as usual.

There is talk of a new, world-class hotel rising in its place. Perhaps there will even be a shuttle service or some sort of easy connection to downtown Indianapolis. The only sure thing is that the space will not remain vacant for long.

I have nothing against big, luxurious hotels. Many of them are fine supporters of Global Traveler magazine. I have even stayed at some. However, I can’t help but feel that something is lost when a place like this closes.

I don’t know what the answer is. I support Darwin’s “Survival of the Fittest” theory. No hotel can stay in business if it lacks so much to compete. Maybe things like this simply pull me back to a simpler time in life. I remember hotels advertising air-conditioning and free TV. Imagine a hotel promoting just that today! Even Bed and Breakfasts have those two “luxuries.” Soon the BCI will be gone but hopefully not forgotten. Maybe the lesson for me is to appreciate other such places now.

-John Wroblewski, distribution specialist