SILOAM SPRINGS (KFSM) -- A 19th century hotel in downtown Siloam Springs is getting a new purpose after parts of it have sat empty for decades.
The building went up in the 1890s and first housed the Morris Bank and hotel. A few decades later, the building was changed to the Youree Hotel. A fire in 1970 destroyed the third story.
Now after years of not being used, the building is getting new lease on life.
"You can see in small towns like this, there is something that is really important about exposing our history and connecting with it," Meredith Bergstrom with Main Street Siloam said.
She said building owner Bruce Williams and his team have been working for more than a decade to breathe new life into it. Part of the restoration project was tearing down the siding on one of the exterior walls to expose the original brick from 1899.
"When they took the siding down I expected to find something that was destroyed, not left in a pristine state and I actually cried," Williams said.
Bergstrom said once they started excavating the center of the old building, they found treasure after treasure, including what used to be an open-air walkway in between buildings. She said they also found an old entrance to a cave.
Williams said there will now be apartments on the top floor and commercial space on the main floor. He said the eight apartments are currently being built and will be either studio, one-bedroom or two-bedroom and should be completed by the end of 2015.
"Because of the condition of the building, I think we have more to give back to the city and that has been my desire anyway, to bring this building back to being something useful, that the city, that the community can use," Williams said.
Bergstrom said part of the renovation project is being paid for by a $60,000 grant from the Arkansas Historic Restoration Program.