RIBBON CUTTING: Water Street Inn New Addition Celebration

GREATER STILLWATER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE / PRESS RELEASE

Chamber Celebrates the Historic Water Street Inn Addition

Owners, Chuck and Judy Dougherty, cut the ribbon at the Chamber celebration for the new addition on the Historic Water Street Inn. Photos courtesy of Kristina Marshall, Kristina Lynn Photography and Design, and Greg Schulz, Pictures Over Stillwater.

September 24, 2019. Stillwater, MN. The Greater Stillwater Chamber of Commerce celebrates the new addition on the Water Street Inn at a ribbon cutting event on September 19, 2019. The presentation took place on the rooftop of the expanded hotel in downtown Stillwater. Water Street Inn owners, staff, family, Chamber Ambassadors, members and staff were there to join in the event. 

The Union Depot at Stillwater, Minnesota was built in 1887, and closed in 1954. The structure reopened as a grocery store, and was razed a few years later. The Water Street Inn patio has sat on the old locale, that is, until Chuck Dougherty had the vision to “recreate” the 80’ Union Station clock tower as a part of the hotel’s new addition. When digging started on the new project, the construction crew came across the old Station foundation that was still buried in the exact spot it was laid well over a century ago. “Rest assured we didn’t use the same foundation, we replaced it,” the innkeeper joked. This project has been in the making since 2013 when Chuck sat down with architect Mike Diem and planned the grand design.  Mike wasn’t able to see the project come to fruition, as he passed away two years ago, but his wife, Beth, who is also an architect, has been there alongside the Dougherty’s to see the project through. The hotel project includes an extra twenty rooms, a new lobby, and a rooftop patio/bar/restaurant with breathtaking views of the river and downtown. The restaurant will adorn the name Papa’s, in commemoration of “Papa” Joe Carroll, a long time local ticket taker at the depot. Joe not only worked at the Station for almost 50 years, but lived there with his wife and 10 children on the 2nd floor.  “Papa” lived to be 106. 

Chuck and Judy reside in the area and have owned the Inn for 24 years. The couple are active community champions and pour their time and hearts into making the Stillwater area what it is today, and where it is going in the future.  The two are looking forward to the completion of the expansion and the grand opening, expected sometime in October. Judy added, “we fell in love with Stillwater 33 years ago, it is a great place to live and we are excited to share it with our guests.”

Water Street Inn

101 Water Street South

Stillwater, MN 55082

651.439.6000

info@waterstreetinn.us

https://waterstreetinn.us/

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