A presentation at the Aug. 19 McGregor City Council meeting outlined preliminary plans for renovation of the historic Alexander Hotel property, including construction of an annex behind the hotel that will also connect to the former Old Man River restaurant—an effort presenters said will contribute to “the beauty, vitality and sustainability of McGregor.”
The project is part of the overall The McGregor Project founded and funded by Jeff and Jenifer Westphal, which includes a collection of philanthropic, community and business investments intended to help McGregor thrive into the next 50 years.
The hotel and former opera house were the first two buildings the Westphals acquired in 2021, as Jeff said, “to make sure they were owned by people who have a long-term commitment to McGregor, the community and its history.”
“Boy, have things evolved since then,” he told those at last week’s meeting.
Also leading the presentation was Matt Coen, principal and architect with RDG Planning & Design, who said work has already begun to peal back layers on the over-125-year-old hotel building.
“We’ve done all the hazardous material testing and abatement. We’re getting it down to a blank canvas on the interior to prepare it for the future phases of construction,” he explained.
Creating lodging has long been a priority for The McGregor Project, with initial plans to distribute rooms across the city. Coen said it was ultimately found that being under one roof is critical from an operations standpoint to manage costs and security.
The former Old Man River property extends to include the parking lot behind it and the hotel, leading those involved to realize, “Oh, these are actually adjoining properties,” according to Coen.
“We acquired the former Old Man River because we felt there needed to be a nicer restaurant than a burger restaurant—to give people choice. We never thought the parking lot could be the location for the added rooms you need to make a hotel viable and sustainable,” Westphal added.
The existing Alexander Hotel building—which Westphal and Coen said does not yet have a name—can only handle 14 rooms, while feasibility modeling suggested 50 to 70. Ultimately, said Coen, they have settled on 60. The bulk will be in the annex constructed behind the current hotel, and additional rooms will be constructed above the Old Man River building as well.
While the existing hotel was more of a boarding house with individual rooms and shared restrooms, Coen said plans will not reflect that model from a historic preservation standpoint, “but we are going to do a historic restoration of the exterior. The same will be true of the [Old Man River] property as well. Everything interior will be very modern.”
According to Coen, the goal is to seamlessly integrate the complex into the McGregor downtown.
“When folks have come to McGregor, the charm and the Hallmark movie quality of coming in between the bluffs and having this intact Main Street is rare. It’s one of the assets of the community. We really want to capture that authenticity,” he said.
Focus will be on attracting travelers from around the region, encouraging them to extend day trips into longer stays—and to visit not just in the summer and fall, but year-round.
The hotel’s front porch will be a focal point of the visitor experience.
“It’s special in how it engages Main Street,” Coen said, “and we want the hotel to be inviting—inviting the visitor in not only to the building, but into the community, then the community inviting that visitor out as well.”
The hotel won’t be “loaded up with game rooms and fitness centers,” Coen added. The purpose is to make McGregor the amenity, to get guests into the community. “A modern hotel with today’s standards will be part of the destination.”
The McGregor Project is contracting with Columbia Hospitality to manage operations. The company already oversees The Station, another The McGregor Project entity.
“Columbia Hospitality really specializes in this type of property—a more boutique, one-of-a-kind type of experience,” Coen said.
Plans also keep in mind the project’s size.
“There is a sincere goal in that this project never feels like it overwhelms the community. That goes across all The McGregor Project,” Coen shared.
The hotel would likely include two food and beverage outlets—a full service restaurant in the former Old Man River and a lobby cafe and bar. Until the hotel opens, the Old Man River building will operate as an event spaced called The River Room.
There could potentially be another food and beverage outlet, but developers indicated a desire to not compete with, but be part of, the overall McGregor ecosystem.
This could be impacted by the two site scenarios Coen and Westphal shared at the meeting. One shows The Brim Coffeehouse building on the corner of Main and A streets, between the Alexander Hotel and Old Man River, and the lobby in the existing hotel facing Main Street. Another scenario does not include The Brim building, instead showing a centrally-located lobby with connections in both directions.
“In addition to a preliminary conversation with the owners of The Brim, we’ve also had preliminary conversations with the owners of the condos above. All the owners have said is, ‘We’re open to hearing what you have to say.’ We don’t have any further progress or assumptions,” Westphal said. “We’re planning as though the owners may be happy to keep the building, or they may be happy to sell the building so we could then demolish it.”
Westphal added they have even offered The Brim, who he said has built a wonderful business the community appreciates, a dedicated space within the hotel experience with both public and hotel access.
“It would allow them to continue to operate right here in downtown McGregor…with a long-term lease that would be advantageous,” he said. “We haven’t talked more about that. But we’d love for The Brim or another local business to be part of the hotel development.”
According to Coen, the development is currently within the schematic design phase.
“We’re getting an idea of how many rooms we need, how much space do all these restaurant uses need, how much back-of-house kitchen space is necessary to function. Really getting a clear scope of the overall project. Then we’ll move into the more technical phases of design,” he said.
Construction is projected to start next year, with an opening date of early 2029. Westphal noted the development will employ 40 to 50 people between hotel and restaurant operations, and that construction will also generate economic impact.
In the meantime, The McGregor Project will begin posing questions of the city of McGregor. That includes seeking vacation and conveyance of the alley between The Brim and Old Man River buildings and requesting two-way traffic on A Street.
A nearby city-owned lot that is currently green space also presents the opportunity for additional parking, Coen said.
“It currently is part of the stormwater retention strategy for the city, so there would have to be some underground detention to make up for what would be lost as a green space,” he stated. “We would be looking for the opportunity to work with the city and community on a parking lot there, as well as how the surrounding parking lots get maximized.”
The McGregor Project is currently funding a parking study that will set forth strategies, Westphal noted.
Additionally, The McGregor Project plans to work with McGregor Municipal Utilities on modifications to overhead power lines, including potentially burying lines.
An audience question also prompted discussion about garbage access for downtown businesses and residents, who currently utilize dumpsters in an area behind the post office. Coen indicated dumpster use could potentially be incorporated.
Westphal closed the presentation by addressing questions about the future of the project should something happen to himself and his wife Jenifer.
“What happens to the town if this winds up in the hands of financial people?” he said. “In parallel to this project, Jenifer and I have been working with our estate planners to create a sustainable board governance system that is structured so that they do not need to turn to typical financial types to sustain the operation. It doesn’t require our children to take over operation of a hotel they don’t want to do. We’re being very thoughtful about that.”
