Check into history: These classic buildings avoided the wrecking ball, turned into hotels

As a bona fide architecture and design nerd with a master’s in historic preservation, Emily Hines was in heaven when she walked into The American Club Resort in Kohler, Wisconsin. What was once a boarding house for international workers in the early 1900s is now a five-star hotel. “I’m a big advocate for repurposing old buildings from a sustainability point of view and as a way to interpret and remember the history of places,” she says. “It’s a great way to honor craftsmanship and creativity that is sometimes lost in modern buildings.”

James Dannecker, general manager of the Detroit Foundation Hotel, agrees.

“Repurposing old spaces brings growth and new experiences to the buildings and their surrounding areas. It’s always important to celebrate history and incorporate it into the new chapter of the building.”

Restoring classic buildings to their original charm while transforming them into places you can rest your head at night just makes sense. And the Midwest is home to an array of repurposed hotels that you’ll likely be wowed by.

Publishing House B&B

Chicago

This building has had many lives. In 1909 it was the Free Methodist Publishing House. In the late ’20s and ’30s, it was a casket manufacturer and showroom. After that, it transformed into the Museum of Holography. Nowadays, it’s a bed-and-breakfast hotel in an urban setting – the West Loop. It has original maple floors and steel beams with a mix of vintage and midcentury design. Plus plants – more than 100, in fact.

“Being a traditional B&B in theory but in a nontraditional space really opens the ideas on what a bed and breakfast can really be,” Kimberly Lowery, innkeeper at Publishing House B&B, says. “Repurposing architecture is challenging, but it is important to adapt these existing structures to preserve the history of a neighborhood and the story of a city."

Detroit Foundation Hotel

Detroit

From locally crafted headboards made of repurposed automobile hoods to custom wallpaper collages, the creators of the Detroit Foundation Hotel have carefully thought out every detail. Built in 1929, the structure was originally two buildings – one housing a fire station, the other a wine cellar. The 100-room hotel boasts the original facades of both buildings, decorative terra cotta panels and the original red firehouse doors.

“The property is designed to bring together the local community and world travelers with different spaces for socializing and creating, such as our Podcast Studio, all while showcasing our city’s legacy and incorporating thoughtful touches from Detroit businesses and artisans,” Dannecker says.

Hotel Indigo

Madison Downtown

Madison, Wisconsin

The Mautz Building, home to the historic Mautz Paint Co. in the late 1900s, sat vacant for nearly two decades before IHG breathed new life into the space as an Indigo-brand hotel. Anyone with an eye for design will appreciate the nods to the original paint factory – for example, the abstract paint-spattered wall, bright carpets and paint dripping from the mirrors in each room.

“In a rapidly evolving city and neighborhood, this building is significant to the historic structure and a key to understanding the historical context of Madison’s blue-collar east side,” motel manager Zach Gray says.

Fitger’s Inn

Duluth, Minnesota

Located literally on the shore of Lake Superior, this hotel, built in the 1880s and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was once a brewery. Its smokestack and water tower are landmarks. Inside, find exposed brick, 62 individually styled rooms and lake views. With three restaurants, a salon and day spa and two nightclubs, there’s plenty to keep you busy. When you’re ready to venture out, stroll down the boardwalk and get to know the lakefront. Bonus: The inn is part of a shopping complex, which is home to the renovated Fitger’s Brewery.

Chicago Athletic Association Hotel

Chicago

Architecture buffs will geek out on the Venetian gothic design of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel, inspired by the Doge’s Palace in Venice. You’ll immediately embrace yesterday starting at the entrance. The canopy on Michigan Avenue is based on original 1890 drawings by architect Henry Ives Cobb. Inside, grab coffee or tea in what used to be the cigar area and enjoy a burger in what was once the men’s Turkish baths.

Throughout the hotel, the original hand-laid tile is a work of art. Pop up to the second floor for drinks at Milk Room, once a speakeasy during Prohibition. Rooms have antique-style furnishing, and the boxer-style robes are a nod to the former sports club. Come evening, take the elevator to the top floor and dine at Cindy’s, inspired by the glass houses at the Gran Palais’ botanical gardens. Most of the original architectural details were carefully preserved as the building was retrofitted for modern use.

Bottleworks Hotel

Indianapolis

Bottleworks Hotel transports guests back to a time when jazz and Art Deco were all the rage. In its heyday in the 1930s it was a factory that produced more than 2 million bottles of Coca-Cola a week. Today it’s a luxe boutique hotel with its original exterior and shiny terrazzo floors. The redevelopment of the iconic building is a key reason the east end of Massachusetts Avenue is thriving once again, which means you are within walking distance of many cool points of interest. Explore the Bottleworks District with lunch at The Garage Food Hall (think: poke bowls, artisan cocktails and ice cream), a deep-tissue massage at Woodhouse Day Spa, duckpin bowling at Pins Mechanical and movies at Living Room Theater. Of course, back at the hotel, you must pop open a glass bottle of Coca-Cola to end the day.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Classic buildings that avoided the wrecking ball and became hotels