Friday, October 24, 1997

Historic hotel receives historically accurate renovation

AUSTIN (AP) -- The landmark Driskill Hotel, a gathering place for Texas politicians for 111 years, is looking a lot like it did, well, 111 years ago.

The hotel is being renovated by its new owner, with marble floors, soaring 20-foot columns, and Romanesque entrances, balconies and limestone detailing.

"I couldn't believe it. I was thrilled with the whole thing," said Sue McBee, who has surveyed the work. "It is the first time I think since that hotel was closed and reopened (in the early 1970s) that the owners are doing it right."

Mrs. McBee, founder of the Austin History Center and a past president of the Austin Heritage Society, was part of the group that saved the Driskill from the wrecking ball in the early 1970s.

A number of owners have left their mark on downtown Austin's grand dame. Gone are the skylight that once soared to the fourth floor and part of the double-grand staircase.

But outside, capping the facade of each entrance, are the carved busts of its builder, cattle baron Col. Jesse Driskill, and his two sons.

In 1886, Driskill opened the hotel that became known as one of the finest in the Southwest. During Lyndon Johnson's presidency, the hotel housed the White House press corps, and the Johnson family stayed there on Election Day 1964, awaiting word of his landslide victory.

The pomp of the original hotel is embedded in what remains.

The new owner, an affiliate of Great American Life Insurance Co., bought the Driskill in June 1995. The property is managed by Brothers Management, a subsidiary of Great American's parent, American Financial Corp., which runs several historic hotels owned by the conglomerate.

Robert Lintz, vice president of American Financial, said the renovation is part of a five-year program "to get it back to its splendor."

He declined to say how much the project will cost. Others who have worked on the hotel estimate the costs at more than $10 million.

"What we tried to do is take it back to the historic period of the hotel but keep the modern amenities that a hotel guest would expect," said Judy Bush, lead designer for an Austin interior firm hired to work on guest rooms, the historic Maximilian Room and the main lobby.

Interior restoration is expected to continue during most of 1998.
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