In 1977, Bob Green opened the Executive Inn Rivermont at the foot of Cedar Street. It was the second largest convention center in the state at that time. The Showroom Lounge started hosting big-name entertainment from Nashville, Hollywood, and Las Vegas. Jerry Lee Lewis, The Beach Boys, Keith Urban, Billy Ray Cyrus, and former Beatle George Harrison were just a few on the guest list.
Financial problems in the 90’s led to it’s foreclosure in 1997 and on November 9, 2009, the hotel was demolished to make way for the Owensboro Convention Center which opened in 2014.
Main Photo Credit: DCPL
I photographed this gallery below just prior to demolition.
Comments 2
I stumbled upon this site yesterday as I traveled to Owensboro. My mom took me to Owensboro several times in the mid 80s to see a country act perform there at the Executive Inn. I googled it thinking maybe I would go check it out and see if anything looked familiar. I was saddened to see it had been demolished – although somewhere in the back of my brain I feel like I remember that it was no longer there. In any case, looking through the photos was so cool as I saw a couple shots of the showroom and the semi circle booths that I so clearly remember sitting in. Alas, the building is gone, but the memories remain!
Author
Thanks for the comment, and yes, I’m glad to have some photos of it just before it was demolished. Photos and memories are all that remain.