We admit, the name is curious and it probably deserves some explanation.
The last one first – “Flats” We felt like the term “flat” described our rentals better than the word “apartment.” Americans usually think of flats as somewhere English people in the movies live – maybe a little more exotic-sounding than “apartments.” We liked the term and more importantly, we felt that it went well with “Lafayette”, and read on to find out why that is so crucial.
Now any student of Fayetteville history knows that the town was first named “Vandalia” after its founder Abraham Vandal, a Revolutionary War veteran and a local farmer. Sometime before 1837, though, the name of the town was changed and named after George Washington’s trusted advisor Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier. Now that would have been a long name for sure, and so they instead decided to name the town for his title, Marquis de La Fayette. Americans have paid many tributes to this man and that is why there are so many Lafayettes and Fayette Counties throughout the country. Since a statue of Lafayette stands just across the street, we felt that it would be appropriate to continue this tradition and call our building Lafayette.
But there is a deeper meaning too: When Amy was a child she had a Barbie Dream House. Not content to have just a dream house, she built several wings out of household tables and shelves and turned it into a Dream Hotel with a swimming pool, gift shop, a childcare center, a maid’s kitchen and laundry and many guest suites. The hotel even had its own reception area and a hot dog stand. Amy would decorate the “rooms” of her hotel over and over again with dollhouse furniture and other objects such as rugs made from fabric swatches and construction paper placemats. Tweety, the family pet bird, could often be found manning the front desk.
The name of young Amy’s little dream hotel? Ask anyone who knows her well, she tells the story often because it is one of her fondest childhood memories. The hotel was called…
The Lafayette.
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