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National Preservation Month: The La Salle Hotel

An iconic building in Bryan took a while to reach its infamous status in the Brazos Valley.

BRYAN, Texas — Plenty of people in the Brazos Valley have heard of and seen the La Salle Hotel. 

Today, it's safe to call the structure an eclectic icon of Downtown Bryan, but it wasn't always that way. 

What was once the tallest building in the area was built in the late 1920's by investors who wanted a luxury hotel in the city.

The structure existed for almost 70 years before, and the site was originally home to a Music Institute, before being torn down to build the La Salle.

According to Randy Haynes from the City of Bryan and Brazos Heritage Society, the La Salle was not very opulent or fancy, but one of the most innovative for its time. 

“It was a fireproof hotel, which was a big thing. It had a steam heat boiler system. It had an elevator,” said Haynes.

And there was plenty of entertainment to go around, with a barbershop and coffee shop.

In its former heyday, it was the center of Downtown Bryan.

But as time passed, the La Salle had a hard time finding its footing.

“It was never all that successful as a business.It seemed like it would kinda go out of business or almost go out of business then sell out. It would go under new management every few years,” said Haynes.

By the mid twentieth century, Bryan had spread, and Haynes said that because of the way the hotel was built, it couldn’t really keep up with the times.

A few more years went by, and it became a resident hotel.

Haynes said the owners at the time, "marketed it to retired people, and in some ways, it was a nursing home.”

The resident hotel eventually went out of business and the La Salle was empty until the early 80's.

It was sold to three women, who at the time, were investors in the area.

They made plans to restore it back to a hotel, but the country’s financial crisis at the time prevented that, 

By the late 80's, Haynes said, “it was clear the citizens of bryan wanted something to be done to bring downtown back.”

Once the 90's came along, the city ended up owning the hotel, and at the turn of the century, it was finally restored to its former glory. 

Today,  it still stands while greeting visitors and locals alike. 

“The story of the la salle is, not all plans are gonna go how you think they’re gonna go... but if you adjust, they still turn out okay,” said Haynes.

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