A Work in progress

Gross descendants restore one of New Ulm's oldest

structures,

the Grand Hotel

By KURT NESBITT

Journal Sraff Writer

NEW ULM -- Three years ago, the descendants of Philip H. Gross bought the hotel building he raised, with the idea of undertaking a restoration project.

The only question was what they would do with it afterwards.

Now, Gross' great-great granddaughter, Anne Makepeace, has an idea.

She and her husband, John, started working towards their goal of restoration this past February.

The building, known as the Grand Hotel, is one of the oldest structures in New Ulm. Gross built it in 1875 after his first two hotels were destroyed by fires.

The Makepeaces bought the hotel with the help of family members with the goal of restoring it to the way it looked and felt in the late 1800s.

Restoration efforts recently attracted some local attention when the gray brick facade was repainted in red, yellow and green, causing many passersby to stop, gawk and wonder about what's going on inside.

The first floor of the hotel was recently home to a coffee shop and a framing gallery. KNUJ Radio's offices occupy the second floor, and the third floor is currently used for storage.

So far, the first floor restoration is mostly complete, with the space occupied by the framing gallery brought back to its 1875 appearance, in anticipation of the opening of a tea room. In the 1800s, the space was a restaurant.

The hotel saloon and lounge was across the hall. Anne Makepeace said she and John have no immediate plans for that space, although they've received several calls from local businesses that have expressed an interest in renting it. A small "Space For Rent" sign graces the corner of one of the windows.

The stairs that divide the second floor still have their original carved wooden banisters and railings.

The third floor of the hotel still has all its original rooms and the original doors. It is still very much like it was when it was bought and turned into a boarding house in 1970, although many of the rooms are empty with paint peeling off the walls. Old radio equipment, vinyl records and dusty office furniture take part of the space.

Downstairs is where the hotel's washroom was located. Along the wall is a thick marble wash basin large enough for three people to use at the same time. Next to it are the wooden stalls that once housed a bathtub and shower and a toilet.

The basement is one of the places where the Makepeaces say they've made some of their most interesting discoveries. Anne said that she's found New Ulm pottery and dishes from the old hotel in the piles of rubble that were simply pushed in after two fires. She points out several of the brick arches in the basement and a spot where the remains of an old brick cistern stand.

Another room in the basement holds little except for several pieces of the old tin molding that used to line the ceilings and a stack of the old iron bed frames guests once used. Those stand next to a row of old wooden doors.

The Makepeaces are painting the first floor. They have already removed all asbestos in the building and paid a friend to do the carpentry. The tea room kitchen has been converted back from an apartment. The bathrooms are mostly finished and work is starting on a ramp that will make the building handicapped-accessible. Anne procured some 1890s-style lighting and had some custom-made glass put over the two doors that say "Damen" for women and "Herren" for men. She said she's ordered some pewter figures to mount on the doors just in case anyone gets confused. There are two large wooden pillars from a staircase at the Brown County courthouse stationed at one end of the saloon, with wrought iron lighting from a Milwaukee German restaurant hanging from the walls and the ceiling.

"My vision is to restore it," Anne said about her plans. "I want it to look as much like 1875 or 1899 as possible."

The restoration project on the Grand Hotel might not have happened if Anne hadn't made a visit to New Ulm in 1997. The purpose was simply to do some genealogical research on Philip H. Gross. Ann said she found out about the hotel while reading historical records. She later told other members of her family that she thought it would be nice if the family could restore the hotel. They purchased the building after a year of negotiation with its former owner, and the Makepeaces moved from Minneapolis.

Ann said her family feels the hotel has some future possibilities. She also said she hopes the restoration will spur interest in downtown New Ulm.

Philip H. Gross was one of the first German immigrants to settle in the area. The hotel was originally named the Minnesota Haus in the 1850s and was renamed the Union Hotel in the 1860s. Along with the long-gone Dakotah Hotel, the Union served as a makeshift hospital during the Dakota Conflict of 1862. The 'Grand Hotel' moniker didn't appear until 1899. Gross died in 1895.