Gaines’ Waco hotel set to open Nov. 1
DALLAS — Chip and Joanna Gaines have an opening date for their new hotel in downtown Waco: Nov. 1.
The couple first announced in late 2019 plans to open a hotel a few blocks from their Magnolia Market at the Silos shopping and entertainment district. The pandemic delayed the boutique hotel, which the Gaineses originally said would open in 2021.
The Gaineses teamed up with Chicago-based Adventurous Journeys Capital Partners for the project, which includes three restaurants and a 33-room hotel. Room rates start at $375 a night, excluding taxes.
Hotel 1928, located at 701 Washington St., is in the former Grand Karem Shrine Building. The name is inspired by the year it was built as a social club, but it more recently housed county offices.
Hotel 1928 has a 6,600square-foot event space and a rooftop terrace to house one of the restaurants. It’s called Bertie’s on the Roof and will serve seasonal dishes. The name honors one of the original architects, Herbert M. Greene, who designed the building with Roy Ellsworth Lane.
The Brasserie at Hotel 1928 will serve “Southern classics with a Texas twist.” The Cafe at Hotel 1928 is open all day with coffee, baked goods and light bites. The Cafe will have to-go service and seating in the two-story library.
The 59,200-square-foot building has three levels and qualifies for “opportunity zone” tax benefits written into the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act as a development tool for projects in economically distressed communities, according to AJ Capital’s website.
Magnolia’s other projects have received economic development incentives starting with the empty abandoned silos on Webster Avenue that kicked off the Gaineses’ efforts in 2015 to build their brand and help make Waco a tourist destination.
More recently they renovated the former Waco Tribune-Herald building into their corporate headquarters. That project received $4.5 million in local and state incentives, according to the newspaper, which downsized into another downtown office building.