The Hotel Ella, formerly the Mansion at Judges Hill, has opened following an extensive renovation. The historic property at 1900 Rio Grande St. now is owned by Stuart McManus, founder of Austin-based Crystal Lake Capital LLC, a private equity firm. The Greek Revival-style property was built in the late 1800s as a wedding present for Dr. Goddall and Ella Wooten. The socially prominent family owned the estate until the 1940s, when the building eventually became a drug and rehabilitation facility. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. For the past decade it was operated as a boutique hotel, but McManus sought to elevate its reputation and service levels. McManus and general manager Steve Shotsberger would not reveal how much was spent on the renovations other than to say it cost “multimillions of dollars.” The Hotel Ella is now the only Texas affiliate of the London-based Small Luxury Hotels of the World Collection. The renovations were overseen by one of Austin’s busiest architects, Michael Hsu of the Michael Hsu Office of Architecture. The hotel offers 48 rooms, including 10 larger suites. There is a 3,600-square-foot grand ballroom, as well, and a signature restaurant, which also opened in the past week. Goodall’s Kitchen & Bar offers an array of food choices from cinnamon smoked duck breast to Thai chicken pasta. The director of food and beverage is Johannes Lehberger, who had stints at resorts in Napa Valley, Calif., and Santa Fe, N.M., and the executive chef is Scott Mechura, who most recently worked at the Escondido Golf and Lake Club in Horseshoe Bay, northwest of Austin near Marble Falls. selectaustin/blog/restored-downtown-historic-hotel-ella-open-business-10072013
Posted on: Tue, 08 Oct 2013 02:26:47 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015