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BISBEE — The city’s oldest brick structures have been restored to their former Victorian glory.
The new owners of the two Main Street properties known as the Letson Block have breathed new life into the 19th century structures by transforming them into an art gallery and loft hotel. But they have taken extreme care to preserve the many original features, most of which can be found in the upper floor hotel, which stretches across the two structures.
The attention to detail has prompted the State Historic Preservation Office to recommend the approval of a federal historic preservation tax credit.
 Steve Relth, left, Rosario Wilke and Tom Firth in front of the Letson Loft Hotel on 26 Main St. in Bisbee. (By Beatrice Richardson-Herald/Review) |
“We had to use the utmost care preserving what is here,” said Tom Firth, one of the owners of the Letson Loft Hotel, which sits above the new Verano Fine Art Gallery.
“We hired contractors who could come in (to the hotel) and painstakingly restore the original features. It took three weeks just to do the wooden floors, which were hidden under carpet and had never been finished.”
The Letson Block is thought to have been constructed between 1883 and 1888 and the two properties are recognized as the oldest brick structures in the city and the only authentic Victorian buildings in Bisbee.
It was originally known as the Goldwater-Castaneda mercantile store, which was opened by Joseph Goldwater, grandfather of Arizona entrepreneur and politician Barry Goldwater.
Businessman James Letson, an Irish immigrant, Cochise County lawman and Bisbee City Council member, and his wife Maggie opened the Mansion House Hotel on the second floor in around 1890.
In 1902, the buildings became known as the Letson Block, which has since been home to a number of businesses, including a jewelers, restaurants, a shoemakers, a bank, a clothing store, a watchmaker and a food co-op.
It was also the site of The Turf Saloon, said to be one of the best establishments of its kind in the Wild West. It is believed the upstairs has always been used for lodging.
The new hotel has eight rooms, which have each been furnished with a mix of Chinese country and British antiques.
“It’s East meets West,” said Marijane Relth, who helped to design the interior and whose husband Steve is one of the owners. “We wanted those influences which represent a true Victorian style.”
The eight-month restoration included the removal of the original sash window frames — the building has the only Victorian bay windows in Old Bisbee — and repairing the cords and weights. The original skylights also are still in use.
But perhaps one of the biggest projects was opening up a closed-off hallway to connect the two halves of the building.
“We had a hunch there was a hallway between these two walls and when we opened it up we found the original exposed red brick on one half and adobe on the other,” said Firth, who also owns the Hacienda Del Sol resort in Tucson.
After carrying out some detailed restoration work, the hallway is to be left exactly as it was found, which includes patches of the original silk wallpaper. The owners have decided to call it the history wall. “We were delighted to discover his hallway,” Firth said. “It was one of those little pleasant surprises.”
Firth and Relth formed Letson Partners LLC to buy the Letson Block, but also have three other investors, including Rosario Wilke. Wilke, of Hereford, has opened the gallery below the hotel with her business partner Rebecca Dahlke. She had “cold feet” about investing in the project, but decided it was a good opportunity. “This is one of the best locations in Bisbee and I love that this is one of the oldest buildings in the city,” she said.
AMANDA BAILLIE can be reached at 515-4683 or amanda.baillie@svherald.com.
Ezai I. Martinez wrote on Jun 24, 2009 7:58 PM: