Hotel Elkhart returns to its original role
Nearly 100 years after it was built, Hotel Elkhart comes back to life in downtown
September 29, 2021Hotel Elkhart- Historic Hotel Elkhart Celebrates Grand Opening
September 29, 2021Hotel Elkhart returns to its original role
The Goshen News
ELKHART — The historic Hotel Elkhart celebrated its grand reopening Tuesday.
Located at 500 N. Main St., it joins Tapestry Collection by Hilton, a global portfolio of properties, after two years of construction and COVID-19 related delays.
The hotel was originally constructed in 1923 and featured a coffee shop, restaurant and various meeting spaces. Over the years, it served as a hub for business leaders, and hosted famous travelers, including Ed Sullivan and Robert Kennedy. The building functioned as a hotel until the early 1970s and then was utilized as an office building and apartment complex.
Members of the community recapped memories at the hotel.
“We had our high school prom here and I remember it was called the The Athenian Ballroom at that time,” said Goshen resident Sandy Troyer. “It was the place to have any event in Elkhart.”
Dunlap resident Corrie Stahly shared her thoughts.
“I graduated in ’61 and we had proms here, and of course graduation parties, and that kind of thing,” Stahly said from the hotel balcony. “I’ve only come from the elevator to up here, but it’s wonderful so far.”
Edward Bradley is partner and senior vice president of Cressy Commercial Real Estate, which developed the project along with Mno-Bmadsen, the non-gaming investment arm of the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians.
“The redevelopment of this complex project was not an easy task,” Bradley said in a news release. “It required the commitment, perseverance, and partnership from both the public and private sectors to bring it to fruition.”
The property has 93 guest rooms, two restaurants, a ballroom, meeting space and a rooftop bar. Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in Relish Café & Convections, and crafted coffees from Goshen roaster Refinery Coffee, and specialty chocolates by Mishawaka chocolatier Sanaa are available. The three-meal-a-day restaurant will also serve salads, sandwiches and soups along with other locally produced items. The Corner Bar on the corner of Main Street and Marion Street, offers cocktails, small-plates and lite-fare dinner. The High Note, the property’s rooftop bar, offers sights of downtown and views of the surrounding county.
“This type of property has a storied past and has endured in its footprint serving the citizens of Elkhart for almost a century,” said Kimberly Christner, president and CEO, Cornerstone Hospitality.
