The Connellee Hotel In Eastland, Texas

Some people may say that old buildings are just a waste of space. That select group of people have not seen the magic of turning an eyesore of a building into a true masterpiece. This magic has occurred to the Connellee Hotel in Eastland, Texas. The transformation from an abandoned hotel that was opened back in the late 1920’s to the center that now holds banquets, proms, and weddings is truly astonishing and should be appreciated. The Connellee Hotel is a perfect example of why old buildings should be preserved and not destroyed.

First, people need to know the rich history of the Connellee. It was actually named after Charles U. Connellee who was one of the founders of Eastland. Construction was started in 1918 but came to a halt shortly

after. It was later picked back up and finished in 1927 and named after Connellee. It was a nice place to stay and had a home or roomy feel to it. The rooms were top notch compared to other rooms in that time period. “It had a certain aroma of fresh brewed coffee in the mornings.” The Connellee was definitely the place to be!
The hotel was a big new establishment that will forever be a town gem. It stayed booming until the 1960’s. It was in this time period when it started slowing down and later shut down in 70’s due to a gas leak. This was not the end of the once booming hotel though. It later became home to apartment complex named “The Village.” That was a short stint though and when it closed down the building became subject to graffiti, windows being broken, and destruction. Not to mention the birds, varmints and bats decided to claim it as their home.
The city of Eastland really deserves a round of applause. Since purchasing the hotel in 1997, it is leaps and bounds better then what it was when they purchased it. All the work put in was worth it and the first even to be held in the hotel happened in 2005. Since then it has been used for numerous events such as weddings, proms, meetings, banquets and the list goes on and on. It is and always will be a landmark.
There are no amount of words to describe the impact that the renovated hotel has had on citizens in Eastland. There are people everyday that just marvel at how stunning it is. It would have been easier and probably cheaper to just tear it down but it wasn’t about easy and cheap. It was about making an impact on people’s lives and reviving history and it truly is something to be proud of.