Where History Meets Community
Information and Photos courtesy of Downtown Bryan Association
Have you ever wondered about the history of the buildings in Downtown Bryan? See how some of the buildings got their start in our beloved Downtown and what they are being used for today.
History of Downtown Bryan Buildings
LaSalle Hotel
In 1927 R.W. Howell decided to purchase the property and turn it into the largest hotel in the city. Austin architect George Louis Walling designed the new building with classical details and distinctly vertical emphasis. When the LaSalle Hotel opened its doors in 1929, Bryan was a bustling railroad stop between Houston and Dallas, and train travelers frequently stayed at the LaSalle. At its opening in 1929, the seven-story LaSalle Hotel was the tallest building in Bryan with one hundred guest rooms, a ballroom and meeting space. The first floor of the building housed a coffee shop, ballroom, gallery, beauty parlor, dining room and two small businesses that faced Main Street. J.C. Jacques bought the property in 1959 and converted it to a nursing home. The home was open until 1975 and then became a resident hotel with small apartments until it closed in 1980. In the late 1990s a private developer, with city backing, began renovations: the hotel reopened in 2000 and the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today the LaSalle Hotel operates as a boutique hotel with a bar and restaurant on the ground floor and a speakeasy bar in the basement. Book a room today!
Charles Hotel
The building was built in 1911 by J. Allen Myers, originally housing Myers Hardware, a 3-story building and general supply store with an electric elevator to move supplies and wagons between floors. Constructed entirely out of poured in place concrete and steel, at a cost of $13,440, it was billed at the time as Bryan’s first “fire-proof” building. In 1939, Charles Myers converted the building into the 40-room Charles Hotel. Major renovations at the time included adding windows to each hotel room and the Art-Deco facade. It remained a hotel and boarding house until the 1980’s when it fell into disrepair. In 2004 the building was renovated into loft apartments. Today, the Charles Hotel has loft apartments on the upper floors and Ed’s Bookshop and 3rd on Main on the ground floor.
Upcoming Events in Downtown Bryan!
August 2020
Every Saturday from 8 a.m to Noon – Brazos Valley Farmer’s Market
September 2020
4 – First Friday
Every Saturday from 8 a.m to Noon – Brazos Valley Farmer’s Market
October 2020
2 – First Friday
Every Saturday from 8 a.m to Noon – Brazos Valley Farmer’s Market