Early Montreat buildings were constructed almost entirely of wood. Many of them were erected quickly to meet an immediate need. Hence it is no surprise that fire often damaged and sometimes completely destroyed these structures.
One particularly devastating fire occurred in January, 1924 when Hotel Montreat burned. Since it provided housing for the students of Montreat Normal School (none of whom were injured in the blaze), the most imperative concern was rehousing them. They moved into three other buildings that had heating facilities, including two at Camp Montreat for Girls. Dr. Robert C. Anderson, president of the Mountain Retreat Association, then turned his attention to replacing the hotel. In his annual report, he noted that “the building was old [constructed hastily in 1900], very inferior on the inside and not well equipped.” The insurance claim totaled $15,000, an amount that he knew would only be seed money for the new facility he had in mind.
He immediately set out to raise the necessary funds, which he estimated would be $300,000 for building and furnishings. In his pleas to the General Assembly, presbyteries, churches, and individuals, he noted that while the Hotel Montreat had been “altogether inadequate,” the shortage of accommodations was now “painful and distressing.” He pointed out that while individual churches spend thousands of dollars annually on their physical plants, “the Assembly is doing practically nothing to house the thousands who desire to attend her conferences.” To drive his point home, he claimed that “Thousands for the lack of suitable accommodations in Montreat are attending worldly resorts and the loss to the Church in spirituality and the consecration of wealth is beyond estimation.”
Montreat’s Board of Directors requested that the Stewardship Committee of the General Assembly authorize a special campaign for $200,000 to meet the conference center’s immediate needs. On July 6, 1924, the committee passed a resolution urging
churches and individuals to donate to this fund, but it did not authorize the use of any funds on hand. Rather, the General Assembly authorized Dr. Anderson to raise the funds. Since he chose not to incur debt, construction was slow. In his annual report of 1926, he noted that contributions to date totaled $777.29 from churches, $1500 from the Woman’s Auxiliary, and $55,857.68 from individuals. The 1927 Annual Report contained a picture of the partially completed Inn and a statement that $144,000 was still needed. In 1928 Dr. Anderson indicated that the interior, still incomplete, could be finished with $50,000. Eager to open the Inn, he borrowed that amount of money. The General Assembly agreed to assume this debt if he would raise $25,000 to support the construction of a building on the Montreat College campus. He secured such a donation from his wife, Sadie Gaither Anderson; thus Assembly Inn was completed and Gaither Hall was begun.