Historic Elgin Hotel

Amidst the peaceful Flint Hills of Kansas stands the Historic Elgin Hotel, the region's finest fully-renovated boutique hotel. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Elgin's 19th century limestone building provides a unique venue to rest, relax and reconnect in an atmosphere that blends the nostalgia of the past with the luxuries of today.

Five living rooms, an outdoor veranda, a fitness center and a game lounge complement twelve unique suites to create an exceptional getaway. A full-service restaurant and bar, private en-suite bathrooms, jacuzzis, and Smart TVs as well as complimentary Wifi, in-room refrigerators, docking stations, and plush robes and slippers make a stay at the Elgin a remarkable and unforgettable experience for its guests.

The elegant Victorian ballroom, conference room and courtyard are available for weddings, celebrations, baby showers, retreats, meetings and gatherings of 75 or less.

In comparison with the hotel facilities in larger places like Wichita and Garden City, each of which boasted one or more new hotels during this period, the Elgin was a modest structure (the Windsor Hotel in Garden City had four stories, cost $100,000 and had 125 rooms; the Carey House in Wichita had five stories and cost $100,000.) Yet, for its location and available resources it was an impressive project, providing seemingly lavish accommodations with forty airy, cozy sleeping apartments, an elegant double parlor, a bath room, an unusually fine dining room, sample room, wash room, tonsorial room, reading room, etc., all neatly and comfortably furnished, and supplied with modern appliances for the comfort of the guests. "To those who recalled A. E. Case's "Hotel Commercial" which opened in the late 1860s and offered sleeping accommodations in the attic, this new hotel must have seemed a satisfactory improvement.

Shortly after the Elgin Hotel opened, the Marion Record observed, "'We get prouder and prouder of the Elgin Hotel. It is indeed a 'big thing' for the town." Its impact on the county scene is indicated by the fact that the hotel occupied the cover of the 1888 "Handbook of Marion County, Kansas," for it was the largest hotel in the county at that time.

In July 2016, current owners Jeremy and Tammy Ensey purchased the property. While the Enseys continued to operate the 2nd floor as a bed and breakfast, the 3rd floor was renovated to include an additional four guest suites with private, en-suite bathrooms. The residential kitchen was converted to a commercial kitchen where hotel guests were served breakfast. Many furnishings were replaced with fresh antiques and replicas, and all 12 suites were remodeled and themed to a person or place in the region. The Enseys also added a fitness center and business center on the 2nd floor, as well as a library for social gatherings on the 3rd floor. What was once a changing room in a separate limestone building behind the 1886 hotel, was renovated into a game lounge complete with billiards, a poker table, ping pong, air hockey and leather sofas for lounging. This lounge is used by hotel guests, groomsmen on their wedding day, or can be rented by outside parties. The official opening of all three floors of the hotel was celebrated near the Elgin's 130th birthday in September of 2016.

After building a successful tourism business, the Enseys with the assistance of project manager Andy Hansen and the crew of Rock Construction from Wichita, Kansas completed renovations of the northwest portion of the 1st floor. A full commercial kitchen was added, as well as a dining room that holds up to 40 people, a private dining room for 8, and an outdoor patio for 24. The newly renovated space boasts a full service bar with a vintage barbershop backbar that was moved from Stone City Restaurant on Main Street in Marion. A late 1800s piano that was completely refurbished by Glenda Schmidt of McPherson is also showcased in the space. Upon completion of the renovation in September 2019, the Elgin celebrated the opening of Parlour 1886, named for its birth year and the double parlor that was written about at its erection. The full service restaurant serves fine food in an atmosphere that exudes the elegance of the 19th century.