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NEW PRAGUE – Hotel Broz, once famous as a wild game restaurant Schumacher’s New Prague Hotel, is back on the market.
This time, it was after owner Caroline Amplatz brought in specialist craftsmen to restore the building to its Neo-Georgian glory. Amplatz said through a publicist that his passion is to restore the building, not to run a hotel and restaurant.
“I hope the next owner is just as passionate about the operation as I was about the restoration, so that the whole community can share in their lasting legacy,†Amplatz said.
The hotel was built in 1898 by Wenceslaus S. Broz, an immigrant from Bohemia, now the Czech Republic. The recent downtown real estate survey indicates that the hotel was designed by Cass Gilbert, who designed the Minnesota State Capitol and other famous buildings, or John Rachac, a senior designer and assistant to Gilbert. Rachac was originally from New Prague and oversaw the construction of the hotel on trips from St. Paul’s when the Capitol was also being erected.
After John and Nancy Schumacher bought the hotel in 1974, they renovated it and made it a landmark for New Prague. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Amplatz successfully bid on the hotel in 2007, but the sale was unsuccessful. After John and Kathleen Schumacher ran a restaurant for a few more years, Amplatz purchased the hotel in 2011 for $ 360,000.
Amplatz said old photographs showed how the hotel was decorated and was inspired by it.
“I did my best to restore it to its original beauty, while adding some special touches, like some beautiful chandeliers that I found in Prague,†she said.
Several Prague chandeliers were added during the restoration of the Broz Hotel in downtown New Prague.
The hotel has 13 rooms and the restaurant can accommodate up to 126 people, 54 in the main dining room and 26 in each of the two smaller dining rooms, which can accommodate private parties or group gatherings. The building also has a bar, a billiard room and an outdoor patio with heated floors.
The hotel, 212 Main St. W., was her first commercial project, but Amplatz said she loved remodeling and restoring buildings, including the house next to the hotel, called the Klondike. Amplatz saw the potential during her visits to Schumacher when she fell in love with the “European atmosphere”.
“I grew up speaking German with my Austrian-born father and I have cousins ​​who own a vineyard in northern Italy,†she said.
His father, Dr Kurt Amplatz, was a pioneering cardiologist, inventor and founder of a company whose medical devices simplify the repair of heart defects. Caroline Amplatz funded the renovation of the hotel with her own money from the family business, she told The Free Press when she bought the building. The building has many historical pieces that required specialists – pieces such as stained glass windows, tin ceilings, woodcarvings, masonry and painted wood panels.
The Broz Hotel, originally built in 1898, has many features, including stained glass windows.
“We were fortunate to have some really talented local artisans like Gerold Brothers Construction and mason John Wenker working on the project,†Amplatz said through a publicist. “I also wanted to conserve and restore the historic architectural details found throughout the hotel. Many of these details – from metalwork to woodcarving – could only be dealt with by the rarest of experts. I was extremely proud to find these talented people who carry on traditional crafts and trades.
Amplatz bought the hotel several years ago at an auction for $ 360,000. The real estate ad via The Realty House, Edina, is now asking for $ 1.6 million for the 11,500 square foot building. It’s been on the market for about two months and interest has been quite high, said real estate agent George Jacob.
Hotel Broz features painted wood panels and stained glass windows.
The local authorities want the hotel and restaurant to be open again.
Ken Ondich, director of planning and community development, said the Broz Hotel, if opened, would serve as a western anchor for the downtown area, which has more activity to the east. of the hotel.
“Obviously, the building itself and its history would be of great appeal to people who wouldn’t normally visit New Prague,†he said.
The renovation brought the hotel closer to its original appearance like it never was, Ondich said.
“That in itself should be a good selling point,†he said. “Hope this helps people see the draw that can be there to get back to historic looks.”
The Hotel Broz, built in 1898, has undergone a transformation to bring it as close as possible to its original appearance.
Debbie Kalousek, executive director of the new Prague Chamber of Commerce, said the building was “really spectacular”.
“If we could open that up, this is one of those places that would put you on the map,†she said. “Once the restaurant and hotel get started it would be very, very nice for the city center and New Prague in general.â€
Potential visitors always call the room to see if Schumacher is open, Kalousek said. When someone stepped in to open it, the bedroom was again using the Broz Hotel as an attraction.
She said the downtown area also has gift shops and other retail businesses that attract visitors, but the operation of the historic building would help and the community is working on other activities including bike paths, to increase opportunities.
Kalousek said she was crossing her fingers for a sale.
“For the price it’s listed, it’s a steal,†she said. “All the work that’s been done there must be considerably more than the asking price.”
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