FOND DU LAC, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – From 1923 through 2023, the Hotel Retlaw has remained an integral part of the Fond du Lac community.
“It was the hub of the city at one time,” lifelong Fond du Lac Resident Bill Weinshrott said.
Weinshrott has memories at the hotel dating back to the 1940s.
“My father was a ice delivery man — delivered ice,” Weinshrott said. “When I was in the sixth grade, when it was summer vacation, my dad says, ‘Well, now, you’re off, so you’ll help me deliver ice’. So, we used to come here about three times a day.”
More than 70 years later, Weinshrott was there to see the hotel reach its 100th anniversary.
“It’s a lot different, but it’s the same atmosphere,” he said.
As hotel staff celebrate this historic milestone, they’re also reflecting on how the road here wasn’t so easy.
“It took a lot of work, but it’s really worked out,” investor David Barker said.
Barker and his wife Sarah Richardson invested in Hotel Retlaw in 2016 when it was unexpectedly closed and put up for sale. They said facing the challenges was worth it to preserve the building and reopen it.
“We thought it had great potential,” Barker said. “Loved Fond du Lac, thought the downtown was strong, vibrant and that a hotel would succeed here. It took a while, but it’s up and running now.”
“Over the years, people have made it a place that is part of their daily or weekly or family routines, and that is exactly what we hope it continues to be,” Richardson said.
Hotel officials are looking ahead to the future just as much as they’re honoring the past.
“In January 2021, I moved into the hotel for six months,” Richardson said. “Got to know Fond Du Lac, the people here. We have amazing city, county, community support and, so, we’re going into the next 100 years stronger than ever.”
Hotel Retlaw reopened in 2019. The renovation project cost roughly $30 million.
The hotel now features a coffee shop and restaurant.
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