Warrior Hotel

The Warrior Hotel is a historic hotel and landmark in downtown Sioux City, Iowa. The eleven-story building opened on December 20, 1930, as a major urban hotel developed by the Eppley Hotel Company. Designed by Kansas City architect Alonzo H. Gentry, it reflects the Art Deco style through its tall brick form and terra cotta ornamentation. The building rises approximately 128 feet above ground and became one of the most prominent structures in Sioux City's historic downtown core. The property's identity changed several times during the second half of the twentieth century. After Eppley Hotel Company was acquired by Sheraton Hotels in 1956, the hotel was renamed the Sheraton-Warrior. Sheraton undertook a major remodeling in 1962, relocating the lobby from the second floor to the ground floor and converting the property into a motel-oriented operation called the Sheraton-Warrior Motor Inn. In 1968, Sheraton sold the hotel and seventeen other aging properties to Gotham Hotels Limited. The property then became the Warrior Motor Inn. The hotel closed in 1971 after an employee strike, but it was sold and reopened the following year under the name Aventino Motor Inn. That operation was not sustained, and the property closed permanently in 1976. Although no longer operating as a hotel, the building remained important to the city's architectural history. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The vacant structure faced serious preservation and redevelopment challenges in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Building violations were recorded in the late 1990s, but Sioux City granted the property additional time because of its historical significance and the estimated cost of demolition, reported at approximately $5 million in the reference material. In 2006, the building's interior was gutted for a proposed conversion into low-income housing for senior citizens. That project stalled when financing could not be secured. A separate redevelopment proposal emerged in 2012. A group led by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska sought a gaming license for a proposed $122 million casino and entertainment complex that would have incorporated the Warrior Hotel and the neighboring Davidson Building. State gaming regulators rejected the application and awarded the license to a Hard Rock Casino project planned for Sioux City's historic Battery Building. The property's eventual revival came through a project announced in July 2017 by Restoration St. Louis and the Warrior ownership group. The plan called for the Warrior Hotel and adjacent Davidson Building to be renovated together as a 148-room Marriott Autograph hotel, with an estimated investment of $73 million. The restored hotel reopened in September 2020, returning the building to hospitality use while preserving its role as a downtown historic landmark. Its contemporary identity is therefore rooted less in a broad international hotel chain than in the adaptive reuse of a notable local property within the Marriott Autograph Collection framework.

The Warrior Hotel opened in downtown Sioux City, Iowa, on December 20, 1930. It was developed by the Eppley Hotel Company and designed by Kansas City architect Alonzo H. Gentry. The eleven-story building was conceived as a prominent city hotel and was executed in an Art Deco style, with a brick exterior enhanced by terra cotta ornamentation. Its scale and architectural treatment made it an important part of Sioux City's downtown skyline. The property's first major corporate transition occurred in 1956, when Sheraton Hotels acquired Eppley Hotel Company. Following the acquisition, the hotel was renamed the Sheraton-Warrior. Sheraton remodeled the property in 1962, changing both its internal arrangement and operating model. The lobby was moved from the second floor to the ground floor, and the hotel was converted into a motel-style operation known as the Sheraton-Warrior Motor Inn. In 1968, Sheraton sold the property, together with seventeen other aging hotels, to Gotham Hotels Limited. The building was renamed the Warrior Motor Inn. Its operation became increasingly difficult, and the hotel closed in 1971 after an employee strike. It was sold and reopened in 1972 as the Aventino Motor Inn, but that incarnation was short-lived. The property closed permanently in 1976. Although the building no longer functioned as a hotel, its architectural and historical importance remained recognized locally. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. During the late 1990s, the vacant structure was cited for building violations. The city nevertheless gave it a reprieve because of its historic value and the estimated $5 million cost associated with demolishing it. A redevelopment attempt began in 2006, when the interior was gutted in preparation for a conversion into low-income housing for senior citizens. The project ultimately stalled because financing was unavailable. The building consequently remained a major but underused downtown structure. In November 2012, a group led by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska proposed a different future for the site. The group applied for a gaming license for a planned $122 million casino and entertainment complex that would have integrated the Warrior Hotel and the neighboring Davidson Building. State gaming regulators did not approve the application. Instead, they awarded the license to a Hard Rock Casino project intended for the city's historic Battery Building. The property's successful restoration plan was announced in July 2017. Restoration St. Louis and the Warrior ownership group proposed renovating both the Warrior Hotel and the Davidson Building into a 148-room hotel affiliated with Marriott's Autograph Collection. The project was estimated at $73 million and represented an adaptive-reuse strategy that combined preservation of the historic exterior and setting with a modern hospitality operation. The restored hotel reopened in September 2020, bringing the building back into hotel service after a closure that had lasted for more than four decades.

• 2020

  Restored hotel reopens

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Warrior Hotel returns to hospitality use in September after its historic restoration.

• 2017

  Hotel restoration plan announced

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  A redevelopment plan proposes a 148-room Marriott Autograph hotel incorporating the Warrior Hotel and Davidson Building.

• 2006

  Interior gutted for proposed senior housing

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The interior is removed in preparation for a low-income senior-housing conversion, but the project later stalls for lack of financing.

• 1985

  Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The building receives national historic recognition.

• 1976

  Hotel closes permanently

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Aventino Motor Inn closes, beginning the building's long period without hotel operations.

• 1972

  Reopens as the Aventino Motor Inn

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  After a sale, the property reopens under the Aventino Motor Inn name.

• 1971

  Hotel closes following employee strike

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Warrior Motor Inn closes after a strike by employees.

• 1968

  Sold to Gotham Hotels Limited

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Sheraton sells the property with seventeen other aging hotels, after which it operates as the Warrior Motor Inn.

• 1962

  Property becomes the Sheraton-Warrior Motor Inn

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  A Sheraton remodeling relocates the lobby to the ground floor and converts the hotel into a motel-oriented operation.

• 1956

  Sheraton acquires the Eppley hotel business

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Sheraton Hotels acquires Eppley Hotel Company, and the property is subsequently renamed the Sheraton-Warrior.

• 1930

  Warrior Hotel opens

  [1]Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The eleven-story Art Deco hotel opens in downtown Sioux City on December 20, developed by the Eppley Hotel Company.

A locally significant historic hotel positioned around Art Deco architecture, downtown revitalization, and upscale adaptive-reuse hospitality.

• Hotel accommodation · 2020

  Warrior Hotel guest accommodation

  The restored property provides 148 hotel rooms within the rehabilitated historic Warrior Hotel and connected Davidson Building redevelopment. Its accommodation offering combines contemporary lodging with the architectural character of the original 1930 Art Deco structure.

• Hospitality and events · 1930

  Historic Art Deco hospitality venue

  The Warrior Hotel's defining product is the reuse of an eleven-story historic building as a modern hospitality venue. The property serves visitors seeking a downtown Sioux City location and an experience tied to the building's preserved architectural identity.

• 2017

  Adaptive-reuse restoration as a Marriott Autograph hotelStrategy

  Background

  After earlier proposals for senior housing and casino development failed, Restoration St. Louis and the Warrior ownership group pursued a hospitality-focused restoration of the Warrior Hotel and Davidson Building.

  Action taken

  The owners announced plans to create a 148-room Marriott Autograph hotel through a major renovation and adaptive-reuse project.

  Aftermath

  The restored hotel reopened in September 2020, returning the historic property to active hotel use.

  Estimated redevelopment investment. $73 million (2017 announced plan)

  Source

• 2012

  Casino and entertainment complex proposalOther

  Background

  A group led by the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska sought a gaming license for a proposed casino and entertainment complex that would have incorporated the Warrior Hotel and adjacent Davidson Building.

  Action taken

  The group submitted an application, but state gaming regulators rejected it and selected a Hard Rock Casino proposal for the Battery Building site instead.

  Aftermath

  The gaming-led redevelopment did not proceed, leaving the property to be pursued through a later hotel restoration strategy.

  Proposed project cost. $122 million (2012 proposal)

  Source

1. 1Warrior Hotelen.wikipedia.org