This downtown Sheboygan corner has been home to a hotel since the Grand Hotel in 1890: Throwback
SHEBOYGAN - On the corner of North Eighth Street and Center Avenue, a hotel of some kind has been in residence since the 1890s, according to Sheboygan Press files provided by the Sheboygan County Historical Research Center.
In 1890, Mrs. Minna Ballschmider ran the Grand Hotel, a three-story, brown-brick building with "Grand Hotel" lettered in gold leaf at that location until 1907, when it was purchased by R.I. Warner.
Warner, in 1917, remodeled the hotel, which included a 43-foot-by-46-foot, two-story annex with a basement.
Warner was to continue ownership until his death in May 1945.
In 1945, Ted and Walter Grasse purchased the hotel from Warner's estate. At the time, there was a delay in the sale because two witnesses who were at the signing of the will lived out of the area and had to give depositions, a 1945 Press article said. The Grasses continued to remodel and make improvements to the property.
In 1963, the hotel was closed by the Grasse brothers. A Sheboygan Press article said the building was slated for demolition to make way for a million-dollar-plus downtown motel and convention center.
What arose out of the ashes of the original Grand Hotel was the building shape we know today. At one time, it was known as the Executive inn and later again as the Grand Hotel.
The hotel was owned in the 2000s by Chuck and Lipping Farrell, who signed on with the Howard Johnson hotel chain at the time.
Unfortunately, that version of the hotel closed as a result of financial problems in December 2008 after former owners Chuck and Lipping Farrell spent two years and $2 million to renovate it, according to a Sheboygan Press article. A swimming pool was added, along with a conference room and exercise facility and remodeled rooms, lobby and lounge.
The Farrells took out a $225,000 business development loaned with the city, but in 2010 they declared bankruptcy and the $212,565 balance they owed to the city was discharged, according to then-Assistant City Attorney Chuck Adams, a Press article said.
In 2012, Alex Patel bought the hotel and affiliated the hotel with the Econo Lodge chain. In 2018, Patel planned to open a small convenience store that was to feature fresh produce and Indian food. Patel continues to operate the hotel to this day.
A restaurant was added to the structure in 2018 with Umi Sushi & Steakhouse opening nearby, bringing a unique dining experience to downtown Sheboygan.
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This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan's Center Avenue has featured a hotel for more than a century
