JASPER, Ind. (WEHT) – If you feel like time traveling to the 1980s or experiencing some rock n’roll, downtown Jasper may be your destination. Renovations of the historic Stewart Hotel have not only added places to live, but themed rental rooms to enjoy.
“It’s had several renovations since 1890, hopefully this is the final one,” says Ruger Kerstiens of Premier Property Management.
The historic hotel on the corner of 8th and Main streets in Jasper was built as the Phoenix Hotel in 1890. Iconic on the outside, vibrant on the inside. Recent renovations have modernized 1 and 2 bedroom apartments on the first two floors, but it’s the third floor that has everyone buzzing.
“The top floor,” explains Kerstiens, “they’re all furnished for Airbnb, VRBO, or Extended Stay, so we can do from 1 night up to 6 months.”
Six rental rooms take up the top floor of the hotel, which consists 18 units in total. The entire third floor: all themed for any occasion.
“We got western, rock n’ roll, travel, 80s, local sports and retro,” says Kerstiens, who purchased the former hotel from Jayme McComas. McComas, who inherited the hotel along with her sister, lived in the historic building until she was 10 years old.
“He just modernized it, but kept a lot of the antiquity,” says McComas. “Just the whole essence of the building is there.”
Kerstiens says the building’s original brick material is still in tact, but new windows were added as his crews replaced much of the interior. Crews also added balcony stairways and eliminated common hallways for entrances to the apartments. Jasper residents, including Kevin Bartley and CJ Stidham, say investing in the future by preserving the hotel is a win for the city.
“Considering what it looked like years ago and what it looks like now,” says Bartley, “they kind of like, knocked it out of the park as far as a nice place to live.” Stidham adds, “I think Jasper is kind of a jewel of southern Indiana and I think this will just help attract folks to new, unique locations that they probably didn’t know existed.”
McComas says she plans to return to Jasper this Summer for the Strassenfest, with hopes of renting one of the themed rooms. For more information on the apartments or to inquire about the themed rentals, visit the Premier Property Management website.
