Industrial art salvaged from the building and displayed throughout the hotel includes gears from the building's ancient elevator system, and ornate pipes from the building's boiler room. The pipes have been cleaned and restored, and will be prominently displayed over the boiler pit - which will serve as the hotel's massive tub, which will be either hot or cool, depending upon the season, and will be called, appropriately, the Boiler Room, which is scheduled to open in 2009.

The Name
The name of The Iron Horse Hotel reflects the duality of the location. Native Americans referred to the train as the "iron horse" as it sped through the prairies. Today, the hotel remains along an historic yet active railroad. Located at the origination and termination point of the tracks means that The Iron Horse Hotel guest is treated to the slow chug of freight cars a few times each day.

Today's pop culture also refers to the motorcycle as the modern iron horse, a name befitting the hotel's location near the new Harley-Davidson Museum, a monumental achievement by this Milwaukee-based manufacturer. The museum is also scheduled to open this summer, and I'll be providing all the details soon over a series of articles.

Construction
Right now, the building looks more like destruction rather than construction. It's not much more than a shell with load bearing walls pretty much the only recognizable construction inside. But Dixon says the rehab is going very well and he's confident the hotel will open for business in July, about a month before the annual Harley-Davidson celebration. Says Tim Dixon, "We have an acoustic engineer testing things out and we have an in-depth sound abatement program."

Dixon is operating under the adaptive re-use principal, which means that to the maximum possible extent, he uses or incorporates salvaged materials from the existing structure. The flooring in the fitness, laundry, and shipping and receiving rooms is all recycled post-consumer rubber, which is also used as sound abatement material for the flooring in the guestrooms. The carpet in the public areas and guestrooms is lined with about 50% recycled content.

The building is six stories plus lower levels, totaling 102 rooms with two top-floor two-level suites. It's post and beam construction with exposed brick walls, and iron details.

The Lobby Area Includes
• Two-story open atrium lobby & lounge; lobby floor durable enough for heavy boots and skid-resistant enough for high heels, all overlooking downtown.
• Custom leather furniture accented by nail-head trim, soft but strong and durable, that will withstand zippers and buckles as well as business attire. Patterns in the fabric are inspired by tattoo art, and snakeskin carpets caress your tired dogs as you make your way through the corridors.
• Places to socialize.
• Full service restaurant with tables for singles or groups, and indoor and outdoor terrace dining. Lounge service is available in the lobby, and there's 24/7 room service. And as Dixon says, "The food is not going to be roadhouse sloppy joes, nor are we going to have white linens on the tables."
• Concierge service.
• On-premise retailer which stocks travel essentials and rider accessories.
• Express and paperless checkout.