A Moment in History The Melba Hotel
In 1928, another hotel showed up on Big Spring ‘s horizon. The Broadway Hotel was no comparison to the Settles, Crawford, and Douglass hotels, that were being completed at the same time however, lodging was always in demand.
The red brick building at 813 West Third was small with 11 guest rooms and two bathrooms and was only 25 ft wide by 84 ft deep. It was named for the Broadway of America Highway that ran through Third Street and Big Spring.
A narrow stairway led guests to a second-floor lobby and the bottom floor offered spaces for two business. The first occupants were Gates Auto Supply and Lydick Roofing.
The Broadway was built by the E.D Carroll firm and Mrs. Steve Conocio was named as “matron” or manager.
If there were any grand plans for this small hotel, they fell short immediately. Within two years, the hotel was under new management and by 1968 it had been renamed the Melba Hotel.
Rooms were rented daily or even hourly. Screen doors were added to each room. There was another set of stairs at the back of the building that had a red light above. This light would be turned on as a warning that the police were entering the establishment and a quick getaway was needed.
Ladies of the Evening usually arrived on the bus and were shuttled to the different hotels, including the Melba. They left after a few weeks and a new group would arrive. Big Spring had several of these “hourly” hotels and motels that included the Duncan and Wyoming.
The hotel was eventually closed in the 1980s and the building remains vacant.