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Once a flop house, the Hotel San Jos\u00e9, redone by Liz Lambert, led the way for changes on South Congress Avenue.<\/p>\n
Hannah Koehler<\/p>\n
Jim Duncan, a retired city planner, has written more than 600 short histories of Austin businesses. We introduced him and this series, \u201cJim Duncan\u2019s Austin,\u201d on July 6. This week, we adapt four of his histories of Austin motels and motor lodges. \u2014 Michael Barnes<\/p>\n
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1930: Blue Bonnet Court<\/p>\n
Of the many residents accommodated by the Blue Bonnet Court over the past century, few were more notable than Lester Joseph Gillis and Zelma O\u2019Riley.<\/p>\n
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For those who do not recognize their names, maybe their nicknames will help. \u00a0Lester was the infamous bank robber \u201cBaby Face Nelson,\u201d and Zelma was better known locally as \u201cBicycle Annie<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n While Lester is only rumored to have stayed there, Zelma, who published an indie newspaper centered around the Drag in the 1940s and ran for U.S. president in 1948, died there in 1991 at the age of 94.<\/p>\n Originally named the Bluebonnet Tourist Camp, it is Austin\u2019s oldest continuously operated motel.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 1930, Joe Doyle and Beth Lucas built the 11-unit motel at 4407 Guadalupe St. on what was then the main road to Dallas. \u00a0He hauled the fa\u00e7ade granite from Marble Falls.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Doyle sold the property to John Anthony\u00a0Maige, who changed its name to Blue Bonnet Court and installed one of Austin’s first neon signs.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 1958, Maige sold it to David Charles\u00a0Woollet, who also owned the Alamo Hotel and was a historic preservationist. Woollet died in 2002, and the Blue Bonnet is still owned by his family.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was admitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990 and now serves as short-term rental apartments. \u00a0<\/p>\n 1936: Hotel San Jos\u00e9<\/p>\n Johnny Moreno looks at a flower stand at Hotel San Jose for an activation by Amazon Prime during day one of South by Southwest, on Friday, March 10, 2023. The Hotel uses its parking lots for concerts during festivals and special events.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n Built in 1936 as an \u201cultramodern\u201d motor court on South Congress by George Foster Zimmerman, the San Jose Court has been transformed into an urban bungalow-style hotel tucked behind stucco walls and set amidst lush garden courtyards.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Now hailed as one of the nation\u2019s first true boutique hotels, the San Jos\u00e9 started life as a motor court and became a 1950s roadside motel before falling into disrepair in a bad part of town. \u00a0<\/p>\n In 1994, Liz Lambert bought it and transformed it into a midcentury-inspired hot spot, the first of her Bunkhouse hotels. It is an example of the Texas Minimalist design style. Most of the furniture was made by local artisans from reclaimed wood and Texas leather, and the three most affordable rooms have a shared bath.<\/p>\n Lambert\u2019s experience renovating the hotel and contributing to the neighborhood\u2019s gentrification prompted her to make the documentary, \u201cThe Last Days of the San Jos\u00e9,\u201d which casts a revealing light on human relationships in gentrification and urban renewal.<\/p>\n In 2015, Standard International, which owns a string of boutique hotels, acquired a majority stake in Bunkhouse. In 2017, Sansiri, a Thai company that invested in Standard International, took control of Bunkhouse, hoping for rapid growth in revenue. After Lambert tried to buy back her company, she was effectively \u201cfired.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In 2024, Hyatt Hotels Corporation acquired Hotel San\u00a0Jos\u00e9 through its lifestyle group, but it is still managed by the Austin-based Bunkhouse Group.<\/p>\n Nowadays, SoCo is among the city\u2019s top tourist attractions, and the San Jos\u00e9 is in the heart of the action, hosting local and touring bands in its courtyard and parking lot during festivals and special events.<\/p>\n 1938: Austin Motel<\/p>\n The Austin Motel has a kidney-shaped pool on South Congress Avenue.<\/p>\n Provided by Nick Simonite \/ Austin Motel<\/p>\n Located at the entrance to the SoCo retail and entertainment district, the Austin Motel is within walking distance of Lady Bird Lake and the famous Bat Bridge. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n It was built by Ernest Calvin and Jennie Mae Stewart at 1220 South Congress Ave. as a 16-cabin \u201ctourist camp\u201d in 1938. During the 1930s, the number of motor hotels in Austin grew from seven to 44. \u00a0<\/p>\n Over the years, the Austin Motel has had four main owners: the Stewarts (1938-1961), the Thompsons (1961-1993), the Deans (1993-2016) and Liz Lambert, who also owned the nearby Hotel San Jos\u00e9. Both motels are now owned by Hyatt Hotel Corp., which purchased the Bunkhouse Group in 2024 for $335 million.<\/p>\n Reflecting the blended designs of several retro eras, the motel\u2019s 41 rooms are decorated in bright shades of candy apple red and sunny yellow and filled with nostalgic touches like vibrating beds, vinyl records, music posters and kimono bathrobes.\u00a0<\/p>\n The motel has a kidney-shaped pool, where it holds its float film series showing Austin-centric movies during the summer months. \u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Its most recognized feature, however, is its glowing red, 25-foot-tall signature sign, which has towered over Congress for eight decades and is memorable for its resemblance to certain anatomical parts. \u00a0At one point, Liz changed the slogan on the sign from \u201cSo Close, Yet So Far Out\u201d to the even cheekier, \u201cLet Love In.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n 1942: Goodnight Court \/ Classic Inn<\/p>\n The former site of Hill’s Cafe is seen at 4700 South Congress Ave. It was part of a tourist complex developed by Austin’s Goodnight family.<\/p>\n Mikala Compton\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n After opening a service station at 4700 South Congress Ave. in the 1930s, Charlie Goodnight Sr. added a grocery in 1938, a tourist court in 1942 and a cafe in 1947.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Other than a rebranding from Goodnight Court to Classic Inn, little has changed over the past eight decades at the tourist court. Named for Goodnight\u2019s partner, Samuel Ambrosia \u201cPosey\u201d Hill, Hill\u2019s Caf\u00e9 started as a small, 20-seat diner and eventually became one of Austin\u2019s largest and most popular destinations for comfort food and country music.\u00a0<\/p>\n After Charlie Goodnight and Hill retired, the businesses were managed by Charles Merle \u201cBoomer\u201d Goodnight Jr. from 1957 to 1989. \u00a0<\/p>\n From 2003 to 2013, local radio host Bob Cole owned and operated the caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n \u00a0In 2018, it was announced that the 15-acre property was to be redeveloped into a residential office project and would retain several of the historic structures and iconic signs and reincarnate the caf\u00e9 and music venue space. The development, however, still looks undeveloped.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Charlie Goodnight died in 1973, Hill in 1983 and Boomer Goodnight in 2010. \u00a0<\/p>\n Sidebar: Charles S. Goodnight,<\/a> the famed 19th-century West Texas rancher and cattle driver who founded the Goodnight-Loving Trail from Texas to Wyoming, is distantly related to Austin\u2019s Goodnight family.<\/p>\n Recent histories in this series<\/p>\n Exploring Austin\u2019s real-life castles and their colorful pasts<\/a><\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Sordid tales from Hotel Vegas. Plus, which hotel hides a Cold War bunker?<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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