Because of a local couple’s hard work, dedication and vision, La Grande now has its newest micro-boutique hotel.

For more than a century, La Grande residents and visitors may have passed the 4,000-square-foot house situated in the 1500 block of Adams Avenue without giving it a second glance, but for Gust and Karin Tsiatsos, the chance to make the old house new again was an opportunity they simply could not pass up.

“We realized it had really good bones, and we enjoy finding old things and making them new,” Karin said.

Through much prayer and a $75,000 grant from the city’s Urban Renewal program, the Tsiatsoses, who are no strangers to real estate development, decided to move forward with the purchase and renovation of the property.

Since the purchase was finalized from the building’s previous owner, the couple and their crew have spent more than a year bringing new life to the old building.

“We prayed a lot. We prayed about what direction we should go (with the building). It’s been a blessing to the people who have worked here, (and) to the people who were living here before,” Karin said.

They decided to turn it into a hotel because Karin, who moved to La Grande almost 30 years ago to attend Eastern Oregon University and stayed, said there were no unique lodging options downtown, so people were passing the city up in order to stay elsewhere.

“I think it’s going to be a blessing to this town and to people coming through here. It was really our hope that people would come and we would have a place to offer (them),” Karin said.

With a passion for the hospitality industry, Karin said she wants to give people the opportunity to fall in love with La Grande, and offering a unique place for visitors to stay is one way of accomplishing just that.

If walls could talk

The house was built in 1900 as a residential home, Karin said, but once the Great Depression hit, the owners could no longer afford to keep their property, so it was turned into a boarding house. When the Tsiatsoses purchased the home, there were nine rooms total both upstairs and downstairs.

The house was in bad shape, according to Karin. It was dilapidated, with a century of layers that had to come up. Flooring, vinyl, wallpaper and even old war posters were plastered on the walls. Some of the Victorian-era wallpaper, though, was beautiful, but unsalvageable.

“As soon as we touched it, it would crumble,” Karin said.

Once the layers were peeled away, the Tsiatsoses said they were delighted to find the original shiplap walls, but both Karin and Gust said one of their favorite parts of the hotel is the flooring.

“There were different species of wood in the floor. We were kind of able to blend it all together and make it look cohesive,” Gust said.

The building is almost completely renovated now and has a new roof and new windows and the electrical has been re-wired. It took a year and one month, but everything has been brought up to code.

The vision

The renovation, which started last June, was a huge undertaking. Gust said when people came into the building before it was completed, they would say, “Wow, you guys took on a project.”

“I never really looked at it like that, and it really was (a project), and it (still) is. It was a major overhaul, and I felt like God gave me the courage and the strength to take it on. Then He provided me with a lot of extra manpower (to complete it),” Gust said.

Because the renovation was multi-faceted, Gust said, he had to rely on others to get some of the work done, which is difficult for him, but he was surprised to see people going above and beyond their duties.

“I think what was inspiring to me is that people were invested in the final product and really kind of stepped up and helped take the load off,” Gust said.

Crediting her husband entirely for the idea, Karin said, “The biggest thing I think we’ve learned is, if you have a passion or a vision, do it and stay with it. Don’t let other people influence what you do.”

A new life

One of the first things guests will notice upon entering the hotel is the black staircase leading to the second story. It’s almost perfectly aligned with the entrance, in the middle of the dining and seating area on the first floor. The staircase was black when they bought the house, Karin said, so they decided to keep it that color, and it makes a statement.

Filled with rustic charm, to the right of the staircase is a fireplace, seating area and dining tables for the Wine Bar, which will specialize in local wines, beers, hard ciders, farm-to-table small plates and fresh pasta for both guests and diners. They will also be serving espresso in the morning.

A cement bar, kitchen and more dining tables are on the left side of the staircase.

The seven guest rooms are simply decorated, modern and rustic with metal-framed beds, plush mattresses and fluffy pillows. Each room has an en suite, a modern bathroom and tiled shower. Eventually, there will be a sauna on the second level.

There is a handicapped accessible ramp at the back of the hotel and an accessible room on the lower level, because the Tsiatsoses wanted to make sure all felt welcome at their hotel.

A legacy of love

Moving to La Grande from Houston, Texas, nearly 30 years ago, Karin eventually met, fell in love with and married her husband here, where they have stayed and raised their children.

The couple own a general contracting business, fight fires in the summer, flip houses on the side and manage a handful of rental properties.

For Karin, La Grande is home, and she wants visitors to experience the same hospitality she has since moving here.

“When you go to the grocery store or the bank and meet people, you know their grandma,” Karin said. “When people need, this community just pulls together. You don’t have that everywhere else.”

From the start of their project, the Tsiatsoses were able to provide some of that La Grande hospitality to people who were living in the building. Karin said they were able to spend time ministering to the former residents and helped them find alternative housing.

Gust said he hopes the hotel is in existence for years to come. His hope is that it becomes a family affair, something that his kids could be a part of in the future. He also said he hopes it brings new opportunities to La Grande’s downtown area.

“I hope it inspires some people to hop onboard and do some things downtown and that it’s just a positive in the community, instead of a negative, which (the building) was.”