Valparaiso’s Grand Gardner Hotel combines local history and innovative amenities to create a premier hotel experience

Just over two years ago, Valparaiso made a commitment to bring a historic landmark in the community back to life when it started construction on its Grand Gardner Hotel. Built originally in 1899 as a schoolhouse in the heart of Valparaiso, the property has been restored to inspire moments of deep relaxation, unscripted discovery, and seamless connection with the community.

Joe Coar of Tonn and Blank Construction expects the Grand Gardner Hotel to become a premier experience in the Region.

“I see it being a very popular attraction,” Coar said. “It couldn’t be in a better location here in Valparaiso. Everything seems to happen for a reason in Valpo. With all of the support that’s been put into this hotel, I think that it will be incredibly successful.”

This facility most recently was the home of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Northwest Indiana’s Valparaiso Club, which has since relocated to 708 Evans Avenue in Valparaiso. This development blends the old with the new to create an experience that can’t be found elsewhere.

“To take a building that’s over 100 years old and integrate in two new additions – one made of metal and one made out of wood – the way we do it today is very unique,” Coar said. “To have an apprentice for your carpenter, laborer, or electrician on this job full-time, you’re exposed to all three of those types of construction.”

The Grand Gardner Hotel repurposes the 1899 historic Gardner School building as its central core, with the west addition serving primarily as common areas and the east addition housing guest rooms.

“One of the best features has to be the swinging staircase by far,” Coar said. “I think when you get up to the speakeasy and see what’s going on at the top with all the furniture and everything that’s put in – all the banquet facilities, conference rooms, the rooms inside the old Boys and Girls Clubs, the old school – it’s just unbelievable.”

The Grand Gardner Hotel wouldn’t be possible without local partnerships, both public and private, that have helped support this project.

“There’s no question that the City of Valparaiso, the VEDC, and everybody locally has supported this project wholeheartedly,” Coar said. “From day one, the inspection process went extremely well for us. Through the duration of the project, we’ve had no hold-ups at all, and we’re very fortunate for that.”

The Grand Gardner Hotel has provided a number of construction-related jobs and other economic activities during the building process and will continue to do so after. Between a higher-level speakeasy, a coffee bar, immaculate window views of downtown Valparaiso, six suites, and more than 50 guest rooms, each part of the hotel holds a captivating story.

Other amenities of the hotel include a rooftop breakfast area and bar, fitness center, spa services, a common area lobby, and multiple spaces that can serve as meeting rooms and event venues. On-site and on-street parking will be provided for both guests and visitors.

The element of discovery is what separates the Grand Gardner Hotel from the average experience. Coar credits all of the different departments who have transformed this space into a hot spot for people who want to visit and learn more about Valparaiso.

“It will be a very large deal for people who are coming through the Region for the first time,” Coar said. “I know that the Urschel family will bring their sales people to have their main sales meeting here at this facility, which ties them into several different foreign countries. I think you’re going to see this take off in a great way. It will be great when we get enough people to see the quality here because this quality is every bit as good, if not better, than what you see in the city of Chicago downtown.”

Between all the organizations who have helped develop this facility, it has taken a village of different departments to ensure the Grand Gardner Hotel creates an environment that offers tranquility, comfortability, nostalgia, and a luxury experience.

“This wouldn’t be what it is without the great subcontractors we have, especially Tonn and Blank as the general contractor,” Coar said. “We have the interior decorator, the architects, engineers, and so on who have helped make this possible. The old Boys and Girls Clubs building was structurally sound enough that it enabled us to do what we’ve done here.”

The name of the Grand Gardner Hotel derives from an adventurer and civic innovator of the 19th century named Joseph Gardner who, it is believed, was the namesake of the original Gardner School. Coar believes that if Gardner were still here today, he would be incredibly proud of what this project has become.

“I think he would be amazed today if he saw this,” Coar said. “He’d be overwhelmed. Thinking about something like this, maybe 25 or 30 years ago, you might sit back and say to yourself, ‘Why?’ Now that it has been done and updated in 2026 and can welcome visitors from near and far; I think it’s an amazing project.”

The Grand Gardner Hotel is expected to be mostly completed by April, and after a few more weeks of fine-tuning, the building is set to open by the middle of May.

For more information on the VEDC, you can visit https://valpoedc.com/index.php. To learn more about the City of Valparaiso, visit ci.valparaiso.in.us.