Overview

The Grand Gardner Hotel is the redevelopment and reuse of the Gardner School building built in 1899 near downtown Valparaiso. The historical building will be augmented by new construction, encompassing additional guestrooms and amenities. The hotel will operate as an independent boutique hotel focused on showcasing the region and inviting community access. Beyond the guestrooms and suites, amenities will include a rooftop breakfast area/bar, spa service area, fitness center, community lobby, meeting and event space, and a speakeasy. This project will preserve an important historic community asset, fulfill the city goal of re-establishing a hotel in downtown Valparaiso, and provide new employment and community/regional engagement opportunities. Urschel Development Corporation will fund, develop and manage the project. Key collaborators include Ratio (architecture), IIG (design), Cornerstone (operations), Tonn and Blank (demolition and sitework), and the City of Valpo. READI funds will be spent on building preservation efforts and new construction. The project is slated to begin in 4Q2023 with a completion date of 4Q2025.