National Register of Historic Places building was named Rainbow Hotel Union Hotel getting facelift
Renovation work is being done on the historic Union Hotel in Waterville. Above, there are many of the pieces which helped build this hotel back in 1888, including the old ceiling studs and brick walls. The building had also been known as the Rainbow Hotel back in the late 1800s and early 1900s. (Submitted photo)
Grant Pope, owner of We Buy Houses Southern Minnesota, is always looking for opportunities in the area where they can add value to a property and the surrounding communities.
Little did he know his latest project is one of the oldest buildings in Waterville that has significant history to the growth of the city.
The company purchased the old Union Hotel at 201 Paquin Street E. This property has been accepted into the National Register for Historic Places in Minnesota. Pope did not know that upon purchase but found out in quite a hurry.
“”When the building was purchased we had no idea the history and the significance of the building,” Pope said. “This was discovered when we started dreaming up our design.”
The plan was to create five apartments in the building. When they started creating the design of the apartments they started digging further and really uncovered a lot of history the building had.
A little more than four decades ago the “Rainbow Hotel” was nominated for inclusion in the National Register for Historic Places and in 1982 it was selected. See attachment for the complete nomination form.
“The building is really unique.The date stamped window sills are one of the coolest things to me. Dated in 1888 and still in great shape. We have a few extra sills in the basement that...
To see more on this story pick up the March 16, 2023 print edition of the LifeEnterprise paper.
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