Garden City is well over one hundred years old, so it stands to reason that it has changed significantly over the years. One piece of history remains, and that is the Windsor Hotel. Built all the way back in 1887, the Windsor has gone through a multitude of changes. But its biggest change came in 1976 when the fire marshall deemed the building unsafe, forcing it to close the following year. The Finney County Preservation Alliance has since acquired the building and has been working to restore the hotel to its former glory.
“We just finished our biggest tour day of the year during Fall Fest,” Brian Nelson, leadership in action advisor, said.
The Alliance hosts tours every year during the festival in order to reach a larger audience and raise funds for the hotel.
“These are fundraisers,” Nelson said, “Sometimes these funds are just helping with the general bills, or if they’re not helping with bills they can go toward a small project.”
The upkeep of the Windsor Hotel is more than just funding new building projects. This is why volunteer work is crucial for the alliance to achieve their goals.
“I think it’s important for people to know their city’s history,” Zane Sorenson, Arts and Communication junior, said. “The Windsor is the coolest building in Garden because it’s like a little time capsule.”
The tours at Fall Fest were structured differently than tours have been previously. The tour was broken into stations that were guided by students, as opposed to one person guiding visitors through the entire way.
“Breaking it into stations definitely makes it easier for the students to learn,” Nelson said.
This can be crucial for the Alliance, as most of the volunteers are in high school and may already have busy schedules.
“My first time helping at the Windsor was for Fall Fest,” Isa Saddler, Public Service junior, said. “The tours were a lot of fun to do and I liked getting to see how the hotel has progressed.”
The Fall Fest tours are not the only event held at the Windsor Hotel, there was an afternoon tea party held on October 3rd, along with various upcoming events.
“We have a lantern tour coming up at the end of October,” Nelson said. “It’s our only night tour and it’s like the regular tour, but we add characters along the way that are trying to make you jump a little bit. We also offer regular tours every Saturday at 11am.”
The alliance is always working toward restoring the hotel and relies on these fundraisers to continue their work.
“I think everyone should go and check out the Windsor,” Sorensen said. “It has so much cultural significance that you have to see it in person.”
