Hotel Blessing
Encyclopedia
Hotel Blessing is a historic hotel
located in Blessing, Texas
, United States
. The hotel was designed by Jules Leffland of Victoria
. The hotel has been a community gathering place since it opened in 1907 The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
on February 1, 1979.
Hotel Blessing was built by Jonathan Edwards Pierce, Blessing's founder. It was designed in an unusual expression of the Mission Revival style using an entirely wood facade
instead adobe
or plaster
over brick
.
Pierce built the hotel to provide lodging for land seekers settling the region and traveling salesmen. The hotel was refinished and painted in the 1930s. During World War II
, wives and girlfriends of soldiers at Camp Hulen
in Palacios
would frequent the inn. Since World War II, the camp closed and freight train
service stopped. The hotel stopped renting rooms in 1972.
In 1977, Able Pierce, Jonathan Pierce's grandson, and his wife Ruth renovated and reopened the hotel. The hotel was deeded to the Blessing Historical Society, which currently operates the hotel. The hotel has 25 rooms, most which have a semiprivate bathroom
or share a bathroom in a hall. The hotel also has a popular coffee shop
, where locals gather to discuss community events.
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
located in Blessing, Texas
Blessing, Texas
Blessing is a census-designated place in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. Founded in 1903, the originally proposed name of the town, Thank God, was rejected by the United States Postal Service.-Geography:...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The hotel was designed by Jules Leffland of Victoria
Victoria, Texas
Victoria is a city in and the seat of Victoria County, Texas, United States. The population was 60,603 at the 2000 census. The three counties of the Victoria Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 111,163 at the 2000 census,...
. The hotel has been a community gathering place since it opened in 1907 The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on February 1, 1979.
Hotel Blessing was built by Jonathan Edwards Pierce, Blessing's founder. It was designed in an unusual expression of the Mission Revival style using an entirely wood facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
instead adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
or plaster
Plaster
Plaster is a building material used for coating walls and ceilings. Plaster starts as a dry powder similar to mortar or cement and like those materials it is mixed with water to form a paste which liberates heat and then hardens. Unlike mortar and cement, plaster remains quite soft after setting,...
over brick
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
.
Pierce built the hotel to provide lodging for land seekers settling the region and traveling salesmen. The hotel was refinished and painted in the 1930s. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, wives and girlfriends of soldiers at Camp Hulen
Camp Hulen
Camp Hulen was a military training camp near Palacios, Texas, United States that operated from 1925 until 1946, and at one time supported the largest concentration of troops for field training in the United States military....
in Palacios
Palacios, Texas
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 5,153 people, 1,661 households, and 1,244 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,021.4 people per square mile . There were 1,976 housing units at an average density of 391.7 per square mile...
would frequent the inn. Since World War II, the camp closed and freight train
Freight train
A freight train or goods train is a group of freight cars or goods wagons hauled by one or more locomotives on a railway, ultimately transporting cargo between two points as part of the logistics chain...
service stopped. The hotel stopped renting rooms in 1972.
In 1977, Able Pierce, Jonathan Pierce's grandson, and his wife Ruth renovated and reopened the hotel. The hotel was deeded to the Blessing Historical Society, which currently operates the hotel. The hotel has 25 rooms, most which have a semiprivate bathroom
Bathroom
A bathroom is a room for bathing in containing a bathtub and/or a shower and optionally a toilet, a sink/hand basin/wash basin and possibly also a bidet....
or share a bathroom in a hall. The hotel also has a popular coffee shop
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...
, where locals gather to discuss community events.