Built in 1892 in the very heart of town, the Village of Grafton’s most iconic historic building continues to delight as the centerpiece of the downtown district.
In late 1889 Milwaukee architects Wiskocil & Schutz Architects commissioned and designed a new 30-room business and tourist hotel for Grafton entrepreneur and businessman Edward Mueller. The new Mueller Hotel was completed in the summer of 1892 on the site of the razed Wisconsin Haus in the very center of a vibrant community. Weekly markets and other social gatherings happened in the shadow of this 3-story masonry and timber building. A genuinely handsome structure, built of locally produced cream city brick and quarried limestone, it has long stood sentinel to the colorful history of life in Grafton, as people around it were born, lived, worked, and thrived.
In 2008, the Village of Grafton purchased the Grafton Hotel after the once celebrated building had fallen into a heart-breaking state of disrepair. There was talk of demolition. Could this old building ever be useful again? The building’s most recent restaurant, Ferrante’s, had closed. The quintessential cream city brick was covered with paint, the parapet had lost its iconic “witch’s hat” and flagpole on the corner cupola, and the interior of the entire building was deteriorating by the day. Like other once useful buildings, this one’s demise happened gradually, through the ravages of time, weather, and demolition by neglect.
Between 2010 and 2012 an answer to a Request for Proposal (RFP) from the Village of Grafton, the old, tired, blighted building was redesigned and renovated to create twenty beautiful apartments, twelve in the original 1892 section of the building, and eight in a new addition attached to the south side of the building. In 2012, residents began moving into their new apartments, filling the building with life and energy once again. Our community is so fortunate that the Village of Grafton Community Development Authority, Village President Jim Brunnquell, and the entire Village of Grafton staff were so firmly resolved to bring the Hotel Grafton back from the edge of its extinction. Their actions included offering Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds, encouragement and unflagging support. Without their help, and the skills of the many talented and dedicated workers who labored on the restoration and new addition, the historic Hotel Grafton building would not exist today. A heartfelt “Thank You!” to all who believed in this lovely old building and helped bring it back to a useful life.
The Hotel Grafton Apartments was renovated by architect Paul Rushing, in partnership with fellow architect Jim Read. Upon completion, Paul and his wife Kit Keller purchased sole ownership in the venture and continued to manage and further improve the historic property for many years. Paul has an abiding interest in historic buildings and creating new buildings that contribute to the fabric of the community. And Kit’s dedication to walkable bicycle-friendly communities is evidenced by her work with Ozaukee County Government to help county visionaries conceptualize, fund, and create the Ozaukee Interurban Trail.
On June 1st 2022, the keys to Hotel Grafton Apartments were handed off to a new generation. Eric & Erica Abrahamson purchased Hotel Grafton Apartments from Paul Rushing & Kit Keller.
Press Release: July 5th, 2022
Historic Hotel Grafton sold to Cedarburg couple | Ozaukee Co. Business News | gmtoday.com