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==Gilbert Hotel era==
The hotel's name was changed to the Gilbert Hotel in 1934 after it was sold.
==DeSoto Building era==
Sometime between 1939 and 1944, the hotel was closed and the Gilbert Hotel name was shifted to another hotel owned by the company on East [[Wright Street]]. By 1950, the building had been converted to office space and rechristened the DeSoto Building.
==Demolition==
The building was demolished beginning on [[October 31]], [[1970]]. City officials had condemned the building, by then in a state of disrepair, after owner Ollie Delchamps refused to renovate it.<ref name="demo"/>
The site is currently occupied by a parking lot.
<gallery>
File:MerchantsHotel.jpg|Illustration of the Merchants' Hotel from the [[Wellge map]].
</gallery>