The Potter-Wright Building's New Life as Hotel Garber
Fundraising in the home stretch for the Potter-Wright Building's rehabilitation into Hotel Garber. The 1902 structure had been vacant for more than twenty-five years, and a rehabilitation project that spanned more than twenty-seven months has returned the building to its original splendor. A third flood that was lost to fire in 1961 was reconstructed in 2023, helping to increase the space from 16,500 square feet to a 22,500-square-foot facility.
Hotel Garber provides twenty-seven rooms for guests, including a two-bedroom two bathroom loft, a lobby with a small reading nook and library, and a spacious dining and lounge area. More than seventy historic photos of Red Cloud’s early citizens and businesses are on display in public corridors and guest rooms. A street-level stairwell has been restored for lower-level entry into the Red Cloud Creative Hub.
In addition to aligning with our commitment to historic preservation, the property helps achieve tourism development and downtown revitalization goals. Conjoined to our Farmers and Merchants Bank next door, the two buildings share an elevator to provide visitors with full access to our new permanent exhibit, Making a Place: A Long History of Red Cloud, about the history of the community and its intersections with Willa Cather’s life and art.
The facility will help achieve tourism development by providing much-needed lodging for guests and expanded meeting facilities for events and retreats. It will allow our visitors to the National Willa Cather Center to stay longer to enjoy the museum, the historic sites, the town, the Cather Prairie, and other scenic places Cather loved. An independent market feasibility study concluded that the market could support an additional 30-room lodging establishment.
Fundraising Goals
The project is a key priority for the National Willa Cather Center’s Campaign for the Future and Red Cloud’s Heritage Tourism Development Office, which launched in 2015 through a collaboration between the National Willa Cather Center, City of Red Cloud, Chamber of Commerce, and Red Cloud Community Fund (an affiliated fund of the Nebraska Community Foundation). More than $7 million in donations, grants, and investments have been secured. Paired with up to $1 million in Nebraska Historic Tax Credits, total funds secured from all sources is over $8 million.
A $500,000 challenge grant to complete the fundraising has been offered and needs to be matched 2:1. Please consider supporting the project with a charitable gift. All gifts of $1,000 or more will be recognized on a donor wall, and pledges are payable over a five-year period.
What's in a Name?
The hotel’s name is a nod to Silas and Lyra Garber, who were models for Mrs. and Captain Forrester in Willa Cather’s A Lost Lady. Silas was a founder of Red Cloud and a two term Governor of Nebraska. Much like the character she inspired, Lyra Garber was well known for her charm and hospitality. The Garbers often hosted picnics and dances in their cottonwood grove near Red Cloud, and Willa Cather recalled these occasions in both her published work and private letters. Now conjoined to the National Willa Cather Center’s newly restored Farmers and Merchants Bank next door, the two buildings share an elevator to provide access to exhibit areas that highlight important milestones in Red Cloud’s history, the role of banking and finance in town-building during the late 19th Century, and the Garber's connections to Willa Cather’s life and writing.
The Red Cloud Creative Hub
In addition to overnight accommodations, this mixed-use lodging and event venue will house a lower level Creative Hub that includes spaces for readings, workshops, art classes, meetings, and residencies. A Creative Hub within Hotel Garber aligns with the strategic goals of the Willa Cather Foundation and the newly established Red Cloud Creative District, which was recently certified by the Nebraska Arts Council. The Creative Hub will consist of two spacious classrooms and a catering kitchen to enable the launch a series of hands-on arts engagement classes, culinary classes, and workshops led by local artists or artists in residence. The addition of this space will allow residents of the region to embrace their creativity and will help to further establish Red Cloud as a destination for creatives.
Watch the Transformation
Tax-Deductible Contributions, Pledges, and Securities
Gifts of any and all sizes are welcome through charitable contributions made directly to our project partner, the Willa Cather Foundation, as part of its Campaign for the Future. Gifts to the campaign are tax-deductible, and all gifts designated specifically for this project will be invested by the Willa Cather Foundation into Red Cloud Hotel LLC. Commitments to the campaign are payable over a 5-year period, and can be made in a variety of ways:
PLEDGE: Make a gift to the campaign, payable in a lump sum, or pledged over a five-year giving period. Payments can be made monthly, quarterly, annually, or structured according to your preferred schedule. You can satisfy your pledge through payments by check, direct deposit, or credit card.
GIFT OF SECURITIES: Gifts of appreciated assets, such as stock with a very low basis, make excellent charitable gifts. By donating your stock, you avoid costly gains and can significantly help this project at the same time. Your stock is gladly accepted as a gift to our campaign. We will be happy to assist you in transferring assets to complete your gift.
Construction Updates
Planning for this rehabilitation effort began as early as 2018. Basement excavation and underpinning that was completed in 2020 prepared the historic building to support the return of a third floor that was lost to fire in 1961. In the fall of 2023, the third floor was be rebuilt and other exterior improvements became more visible. Interior framing and drywall work, along with facade improvements and rough-ins for plumbing, electrical, and mechanical equipment took place throughout 2024. The final phase of construction, including interior finishes, was completed in the spring of 2025.
More About Hotel Garber
This project aligns with our mission to advance Willa Cather's legacy through historic preservation. It will result in the adaptive reuse of a dilapidated downtown building into a 27-room one-of-a-kind hotel. Spacious lounge and dining areas on the first floor will be visible from the intersections of Highways 281 and 136, adding life and vibrancy to downtown Red Cloud. A street-level stairwell will be restored for lower-level entry into the Red Cloud Creative Hub at Hotel Garber. Memorable guest rooms will spotlight artwork featuring historic Red Cloud, while the public areas will exhibit objects from the town’s rich history.
In addition to the project team, we are incredibly grateful for gifts from many generous individuals and foundations, as well as the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the Nebraska Arts Council, and the State Historic Preservation Office / Nebraska State Historic Tax Credit program. Red Cloud is a Certified Nebraska Creative District identified by the Nebraska Arts Council.
Project Partners and Collaborators:
Thank You:
