The Holland Hotel

Holland Hotel built for $250,000

The Holland Hotel was built in Alpine, Texas in 1912 under the orders of Mr. John R. Holland,^[1] a prominent cattleman at the time. According to Mr. Holland, Alpine needed a place where the travelers of the booming mining industry could stay the night. The hotel was finished during the mercury mining boom, therefore becoming very successful in the community as both a business, social and civic center. After Mr. Holland’s death, his son Clay took over the hotel. In 1928 he decided to add the existing building under the design of the major southwest architecture company at the time, Trost and Trost. It was built for $250,000.^[2] Along with many of the Trost creations, The Holland Hotel was seen as a fairyland adorned with beautiful Spanish decorations and was eventually recognized as a Texas Historic Landmark in 1980.^[3]

Present day

In 1946, Clay Holland sold the hotel to George Hotels, Inc. under the control of Lawrence George of Mount Pleasant, Texas. Mr. George ran the hotel for three years and in 1949 sold it to Frank Hofues. In 1957 Mr. Hofues died. The Trustees of the Mr. Hofues Estate sold the hotel in 1957 to James C. Henderson, who, in turn, has financial difficulties; and in 1959 the facilities were deeded to I.C. Roark, who continued to operate the hotel for about ten years. Then in 1969 the hotel was closed down, and all the equipment and furnishings were sold.The building remained empty and began to deteriorate. The in 1972 Gene Henddryx purchased the property and in a quarter million dollar renovation, changed it from a hotel to an office building.^[2]

In 1985 the McFarland family, Robert, Myra Jo and their daughter Carla, purchased the Holland Hotel with Carla McFarland as the General Manager, and slowly turned it back to a hotel as tenants leases expired. They opened an upscale restaurant called McFarland's that is still talked about. This was followed by a number of quality restaurants until the McFarland's sold the property in the midst of the first decade of the 21st Century. The McFarland family, especially Carla, is the longest standing owner to date of over 20 years. In the early 21st Century Carla McFarland hired the great Texas Muralist, Style Read, along with other local artisans to restore the Holland's lobby to the grandeur of the Trost & Trost original design. A surprising palette of color was discovered and the hotel took on a festive atmosphere. Unfortunately much of that work was covered up by new owners and is once again waiting to be rediscovered.^[4] In September 2011, The Holland Hotel was acquired by Greenwich Hospitality Group, who restored the building to its former glory with 24 guest rooms and a full service restaurant, The Century Bar and Grill.^[5]

In popular culture

In October 2015 The Holland Hotel was featured on the Television show Daytripper with Chet Garner. ^[6]

2011 Ghost sighting in the Lobby of The Holland Hotel

The Holland Hotel is known for having several ghosts. The most popular and well founded record is from the 1916 Spanell-Butler murders. The murders happened on July 20, 1916 around supper time. Witnesses stated they heard gun shots and a woman voice screaming,“Oh Harry! Please don’t kill me.” Two people were killed that night. Crystal Holland Spanell, daughter of John Holland, who built the Holland Hotel, and Matthew C. Butler, Jr. of the 6th U.S. Cavalry and son of Senator M. C. Butler of South Carolina. The murders made the front page of the New York Times.^[7]

Crystal is reported to haunt the third floor of the Holland Hotel, while her suspected lover, Matthew, is rumored to sit in the bar.

Guests report a little girl, Nina, who lived in the hotel in the 1930s and was rumored to have drown on the second floor. Her old bedroom is available to rent by special request. Mr. Holland has been sighted in the lobby and employee areas and several different apparitions have been reported in the penthouse.

References

Coordinates: 30°21′27″N 103°39′46″W / 30.35750°N 103.66278°W / 30.35750; -103.66278