- The George West Hotel is being renovated after years of being abandoned.
- Robert Ord has taken on the project to bring the hotel back to life and preserve history.
- The building was originally built in 1915.
- This project will take two years before completion.
After years of being abandoned, the Old George West Hotel near the center of the city is finally getting some work done.
The George West Hotel was purchased by a contractor with hopes of revitalizing it.
“Last two years, I kept driving around. Kept seeing the hotel. I thought it needed to be refinished and restored,” Ord said.
He said this hotel is the oldest building in Live Oak County and the first building that was ever built in the area. George West, the founder of the city that bears his name, owned the hotel.
Construction began in 1915 and ended two years later. Originally, there was a bank, hotel, restaurant and other businesses.
“This was the center for everything that came into town for the cattle industry from 1917 on,” Ord said.
Ord said throughout the years, different businesses opened in the 100-year-old building but no restoration was ever done. Then, it fell into the hands of vandals and left to deteriorate.
Nativida Ybanez has lived in George West all her life. At 84-years-old, she said she doesn’t remember much of the hotel being open
“Oh, I think it’s wonderful. Wonderful renovations. We need something here - you know - to make it look nicer,” Ybanez said.
Currently, the walls are being knocked down to open up the rooms. Originally, Ord said, there were 19 very small rooms with shared bathrooms.
He hopes to have 10 hotel rooms in the 20,000-square-foot building with a bar, restaurant, and bakery.
“We estimate - in our timeline - approximately two years to get it finished. In 2025 - that’s when you’ll see big changes happening,” Ord said.
The renovation project is a long way off, but Ord said from here to the end, neighbors will be invited to see a glimpse into the past with a modern era.
For more information and details on the project visit http://www.thegrandwest.com/
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