Grant money to allow revitalization of historic Daniel Boone Hotel

On Main Street in downtown Whitesburg, the Daniel Boone Hotel sits vacant.

"Our Daniel Boone Hotel is for us, the centerpiece of historic architecture in Whitesburg," Bill Richardson who is the Architect for the Daniel Boone Hotel said.

"We consider the Daniel Boone a piece of our tourism puzzle," James Wiley Craft who is the Mayor of the City of Whitesburg said.

Built around 1920, the hotel served as a centerpiece for the city, until it closed in 1970.

The building was then used for office space until the doors were permanently shut in the early 1980's.

"After that time, nothing has been done," Craft said.

Since then, Craft said, the building developed a leak making it structurally unstable.

"The timber supporting it is decayed," Craft said.

With the help of a new $500,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission and another $500,000 from a Department of Local Government grant, Craft said the city plans to start restoring the hotel.

"The first thing is to put a new roof on it, to get the leaked stopped," Craft said.

They expect renovations to cost $6.5 million, but once open, the Daniel Boone Hotel will feature 44 guest rooms, a penthouse, boutique shops and a high-end restaurant.

"Once we get it serviceable, it will create a Downtown Whitesburg that is compared to none," Craft said.

Craft said they plan to begin stabilizing the building in late spring or early summer.

Craft also said he does not know how long it will take to fully restore the hotel, as they still need to raise about $4.5 million for the project.