A ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday marked the completion of a top to bottom, interior and exterior renovation of the Park Hotel on Madison's Capitol Square.
Wisconsin Senator Fred Risser (D-District 26) said the hotel had been important in retaining the State Capitol in Madison in the late 1800's.
At that time, a movement occurred to try and move the Capitol to Milwaukee due to a lack of a Madison hotel. Local businessmen pooled their resources to build a grand Capitol Hotel to keep Madison as the State Capitol.
"This hotel has seen the ups and downs of the city of Madison," said Risser. "The hotel was originally constructed for $125,000, and seven years later it was sold for $57,000 less because of an economic downturn in the area."
The Park Hotel welcomed its first guest in August of 1871. It remains 146 years later as the only Capitol Square hotel.
The timing of the renovation coincides with the 100th birthday of the State Capitol.