A Century-Old Oregon Apartment Building Is Renovated Into an Artistic Hotel

After spending nearly two decades in Portland, Oregon, Greg Hennes yearned to relocate to a small town with a slower pace. While scouring the Northwest for land to build his dream cabin, he stumbled upon a 105-year-old brick apartment building for sale in Joseph, a close-knit locale set five hours from the city. So, he started a Kickstarter campaign focused on renovating this property around original artistry, and the Jennings Hotel became the first of its kind to have met its goal. "I wanted to create a place where people could get away from the daily grind and have a quiet place to work," Hennes said. He opened the first of 13 rooms two years ago, which features crisp white walls, rustic furnishings, and earth-toned art, and has invited designers to outfit each of the other guest spaces with a budget from Rejuvenation. Plus, artists are also invited to stay anywhere from overnight to a month thanks to an ongoing residency program — as long as they leave a new work behind. It's a warm outpost for anyone to get creative, and a safe haven that reflects Hennes's peaceful state of mind.