A group of young and influential Eau Claire investors have secured a $500,000 state grant to open a boutique hotel in the city’s downtown.
Grammy Award-winner Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, cofounder of JAMF Software Zach Halmstad and alternative weekly publisher Nick Meyer are working to open a new 30-room boutique lodging and dining facility called the Oxbow Hotel.
The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation awarded the half-million dollar grant to help the investors transform an aging downtown hotel. Meyer said it will complement the city’s character
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“It’s not just a box full of rooms out by the highway,” he said. “It’s an authentic place that’s a gateway to the experience here.”
A new performing arts center is also planned for downtown.
Meyer said the goal is to open the Oxbow before next year’s Eaux Claires Music and Arts Festival in August.
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