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Hot Openings: Restored mansion becomes Hotel Ella

The boutique Hotel Ella opened recently in a mansion dating to the turn of the 20th century in Austin, Texas.

Austin-based Michael Hsu Office of Architecture led a restoration project inspired by the building’s original owners, Dr. Goodall and Ella Wooten, who moved into a home on the site in 1898 and renovated their house into a mansion in 1910. He helped found the University of Texas. Mrs. Wooten was a businesswoman who also had an eye for trends, introducing the city’s first azalea bushes. (Mrs. Wooten also hired Neiman Marcus to decorate the mansion in the 1920s for the equivalent of US$1 million.)

The building has served as student housing, a treatment center for substance abuse, and the Mansion at Judges’ Hill hotel (starting in 2003). In 2012, Rio Grande ATX Investments bought the property, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1975.

The 47-key hotel offers 10 suites. Amenities include wrap-around verandas, a courtyard with a lap pool, event space, and a curated collection of fine art and sculpture from Texas artists. Dogs of all sizes are welcome.

Executive Chef Scott Mechura oversees a menu of updated favorites at Goodall’s Kitchen & Bar. The restaurant also serves beer, wine and craft cocktails styled as “Dr. Wooten’s Remedies & Prescriptions.”

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