Historic Hotels of America, the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation for recognizing and celebrating the finest and most significant historic hotels, has inducted 27 historic hotels into membership in 2018. Many of the historic hotels are adaptive-reuse historic hotels that have involved converting some or all of a historically significant building to a hotel. Originally, these buildings were built for another purpose in their history. Sixteen of the 27 historic hotels inducted in 2018 are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, four of the inducted hotels have been designated as National Historic Landmarks or are contributing structures in historic districts that have been designated as National Historic Landmarks by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. The 27 inducted historic hotels represent independent hotels, brands, and collections from across the U.S. from 16 different states, including one from Tennessee - 21c Museum Hotel | Nashville.
R.C. Mathews Contractor completed the transformation of the building located at 221 2nd Avenue North in April of 2017. Constructed in 1900, the seven-story building was originally home to the Gray & Dudley Hardware store until they moved to another location in 1942. The building was home to Metro Nashville goverment offices for several years before being sold to the 21c Museum Hotel group.
Only two other Nashville properties have the distinction of being named a Historic Hotel of America - the Hermitage Hotel and Union Station Hotel - both renovations that were completed by R.C. Mathews Contractor.