Hotel Rooms Curated by Culture in Perry, Iowa?
A small hotel in Iowa offers a short road trip to connect with the heartland’s multicultural roots.
Perry, Iowa, once a critical railroad town and agricultural center, lies about 35 miles northwest of Des Moines. Like many Midwest communities at the start of the 20th century, Perry was a multi-ethnic community bonded not by language or past customs, but by a shared commitment to the land, their families and their respective faiths, along with hard work and stoicism in the face of hardship. But the people of Perry, almost all immigrants, were also ‘dreamers,’ believing that if they gave this country all that they had, they could belong and prosper.
It was in this environment that the Hotel Pattee opened its doors in May 1913. For the next 80 years, the hotel was a barometer of the economy, riding tides of depression and prosperity through wars and peace. In 1993, after being closed for several years, it was in dire need of rehab or it would have to be demolished.
What the hotel needed was a miracle.
Enter Roberta Green Ahmanson, a Perry native, who was once editor of the high school newspaper and returned to town as an adult. She bought the hotel for back taxes and built her dream by hiring architects, plumbers, carpenters, designers and historians. Every room would be unique, and each would pay homage to a different immigrant or ethnic group, a type of work, a significant person or the activities that brought people together. In May 1997, the Hotel Pattee reopened for business. It has since gone through some closings and re-openings, but has now been continually open since 2013.
Today, eleven flags of different nations blow in the prairie breeze on top of the three-story brick building. I was entranced as I walked into the lobby with its walls of Honduran mahogany and floors covered with Persian rugs. Leather chairs are grouped, invitingly, by a stone fireplace. Sure, it’s just a lobby, but when was the last time you walked into a lobby and paused to inhale?
Original art hangs on every wall of the hotel, and in some cases covers an entire wall, such as the expansive mural across one wall of the ballroom that is also decorated with a stenciled proverb: “When you drink from the well, remember the well digger.” An independent foundation owns the art, which you can learn about on docent-guided tours if you make advance reservations for them. (Yes, a hotel with art walks.)
Since I may have distant relatives in Holland, I opted for the Dutch Room. Decorated in the Hindeloopen style, a folkart tradition that features ornate wood carving and painted surfaces, it features a built-in bed and hand-carved oak fireplace dated 1837. On the wall was painted the adage, Van het concert des levens krijgt niemand een programma (roughly, “No one gets a program for the concert of life.”)
In stark contrast was the adjacent Japanese Room. It’s monochromatic and uncluttered: bamboo flooring, bed, tatami mats, shoji panels and a tansu cabinet. There are two paintings by noted artist Makoto Fujimura done in nihonga, a Japanese technique of layering mineral pigments, where gravity is part of the creative process.
If you have a particular interest, you may find a room theme that reflects it: Louis Armstrong (who stayed at the Pattee when the hotels in Des Moines would not admit African Americans), circuses, Gustav Stickley, William Morris, Ally Oop cartoons, schoolhouses, marching bands, quilts, needlework, woodworking, newspapers, railroads, farming. Or choose a room that celebrates immigrants: Russian, Chinese, Italian, Bohemian, African, Irish, Mexican, American Indian, Swedish, Southeast Asian, Central American, Welsh.
In the basement, there is two-lane bowling alley that replicates the original one from 1913, a spa (book a massage!), fitness center and a giant hot tub. Off the lobby is a hotel library with a collection of classic videos and books.
The Inter-Urban Lounge is inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright — furniture, stonework, shelving and chandelier. Harvey’s, the hotel restaurant, has three separate dining areas. One is modeled after a railroad dining car, another an upscale version of a depot restaurant. The food is farmto-table, with continental twists. There’s comfort food and Iowa steaks, but I fell for the smoked brisket (they smoke their own prime rib on weekends) and honey bourbon peach cobbler.
I felt good staying at the Hotel Pattee. Not just because of the comfy beds, the complimentary freshly baked chocolate chip cookies, the cheerful staff and the peace and quiet to really decompress but because it felt good to stay in a place that celebrates heritage and the labor required to build community.
At the Hotel Pattee, I drank from the well and remembered the well-digger.
Perry and Beyond
The hotel can be used as a base to explore the museums and attractions of Des Moines, but I enjoyed having a few days with a minimalist agenda. There are bike trails galore, with bike rentals next to the hotel. (Try the Raccoon River Trail or the High Trestle Trail.) Take a lazy afternoon back-road drive 40–50 miles over to Winterset to see for yourself the covered bridges of Madison County.
Perry’s compact downtown has a sampling of antique shops and boutiques (but open mostly on weekends). The Carnegie Library is fully restored and a pleasure to visit. Grab a latte and pastry at Perry Perk. Lunch at the family owned Mandarin or Casa de Oro, or ask at the front desk where to find Perry’s popular local food trucks. After a stroll, back at the Pattee, I took some work down to the lobby, got a drink from the bar, and spread out on a big table tucked behind the fireplace. The front desk staff was solicitous, checking in to ask if there was anything I wanted.
Reservations for the hotel can be made at hotelpattee.com. The site includes recommendations for local attractions.
Perry is still in flux. Ever since the Tyson plant moved in, the more recent immigrant population has grown. But, from what some locals shared with me, they see the growth as challenging but positive. More people who want to work hard, spend their salaries locally and pay taxes? That’s what many rural towns need.
During my stay, I saw the high school homecoming parade. Convertibles rolled past, bearing the homecoming court contestants, who grinned and waved to the excited little kids who lined the sidewalks. I noticed the names on the banners: Fuentes, Avila, Tobar, Cortez, Jimenez, Cruz, Calderon, Echeverria, Olejniczak. It occurred to me that this is the heartland of America, and these are the kids who will give it their hearts and keep it great.
