La Crosse, WI (WXOW) – Article by Caroline Hecker, Multi-Media Journalist
Posted: May 08, 2017 4:55 PM CDT
Updated: May 22, 2017 4:55 PM CDT
A much anticipated piece of history in the city of La Crosse will open its doors this week.
The Castle La Crosse Bed and Breakfast will open to the public on Wednesday, nearly one year after owners Billy Banes and Brandon Rigger initially toured the home.
“We’ve always been lovers of old homes,” Banes said. “We tour them, we go to house museums whenever we can, we both really appreciate the stories behind houses like this one.”
The home, built in 1892 by a lumber baron, has been home to only six owners in its 125 years.
Rigger and Banes, who were previously living and working in Texas, saw an ad about the house on Facebook.
“There’s a site called For the Love of Old Houses and everyday they review a house that’s for sale, or a house that’s needing saved or possibly one that’s being torn down,” Banes said. “We saw it on there and Brandon wasn’t buying it until we actually toured it and we were amazed.”
The bed and breakfast will have five guest rooms, each with a private bathroom and will accommodate up to 10 guests at a time. Each morning, Rigger, a french pastry chef, will make a lavish spread for breakfast.
‘We’re really trying to promote season product, local product that we can use and just try to make it fun and do fascinating things,” Rigger said. “Not just your standard bowl of oatmeal you might get somewhere else, but take it up a notch.”
Banes said the two repainted rooms in the house and is renovating a utility room into a bathroom.
“The house needed to do something so it wouldn’t be divided up into smaller units or something like that,” he said. “It’s in great shape probably because the church had it for so many years and we want to keep it that way.”
Each room is named after the different kinds of woods used in the home. If you’re interested in booking a room, call 844-726-5808 to check availability. Rooms run $265 per night.
You can also purchase gift certificates for friends and family that can be used at any time.
