Takin' the Blog for a Walk
Join Waukesha resident Brien Lee and his blog, Sir Fido, as they explore the city and report on the interesting things they find.
Email Brien at howlinblog@yahoo.com.
Hotel's finally open!
The boutique hotel is open. A little late for Harley's 105th, but getting the tax credits and rehabbing a 100+ year old building took more than planned. Parking has been tight the last few months but the wait's finally over.
On my short tour this morning I was impressed by all the old, restored, recycled and reused items in the hotel. The pool table from the 1800s is beautiful. Bar tables with used gears for the base, chairs recycled from an architectural school. An apothecary cabinet, old toys, a cathedral's window. Most impressive is how well the elements of the building were incorporated into the hotel's theme. Even the building's porticos lended their design to the hotel's insignia. Sliding doors and dock doors were refinished and prominent, as is brickwork and wood floors. 300 to 400 year old hemlock beams were saved as-is or remade into furniture.
My work is so close to the hotel that we were able to lease shop space and parking lots to them. Our building is similar in age with similar wood beams so I was anxious to see what they did with theirs. The restaurant isn't open yet but everything else appears complete. There's a neat library with fireplace where people can meet and have coffee. The windows are huge and double pane. The interior is open with high ceilings. I didn't see any bedrooms but bar, restaurant, lobby, meeting room and library all look fantastic.
The Iron Horse Hotel is at the south end of the Sixth Street Viaduct in Walker's Point just three blocks south of the Harley Museum. Take a peek if you're ever in the neighborhood.
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