The first Holiday Inn was created in August of 1952 in Memphis TN. The chain started to grow out from Memphis and by 1954 Holiday Inn was looking to build in Birmingham AL. This early rendering of a Holiday Inn illustrates how the early "Inn's" differ in layout from what became the norm, when the buildings were arranged in a "square" with the pool located in the center. Poolside rooms rented for a premium versus those facing outward. Gouache on board - signed Leroy Byrd