A historic midtown Omaha landmark is reopening after years of renovations.
The former Blackstone Hotel, now known as the Cottonwood Hotel, has undergone a $75 million renovation. Some things inside the hotel are still the same, like the historic marble staircase and ballroom, but the rest of the hotel had to pretty much be rebuilt from scratch.
Cottonwood owner Jay Lund tells WOWT 6 News, "Really everything in the entire hotel is new. I mean, we had to completely demolish the building back to concrete and steel as it had been converted into an office building in the early 80s. Literally speaking everything in the hotel but for a couple of those historic pieces are brand new.”
Some of those new features include a rooftop terrace, an addition to the hotel with extra guest rooms, a resort-style pool and of course, the new name. Developers had to change the name of the hotel to the Cottonwood because a past owner trademarked the name “Blackstone."
Lund says since the building is registered as a historic place, they did face some limitations with the renovation. “We utilized historic tax credits here that always comes through limitations so you work through those. That’s a process in itself but we were happy to do those things to satisfy the historical needs of the building."
Reservations to stay at the Cottonwood hotel will start being accepted on Friday.
(Photo by WOWT 6 News)