JIM THORPE, Pa. — A mix of history with modern touches—that's how co-owner Duke Blauch describes the renovation at the former YMCA of Mauch Chunk on Broadway in Jim Thorpe.
A place that was for the community back in 1984 is now reopening nearly 40 years later to serve the Jim Thorpe area once again as the Y on Broadway.
It's a transformation that's taken years.
"Two years and 10 months ago for this. This project is here. I've owned it for 30 years. We renovated it 25 years ago for the county for domestic relations, juvenile court, children and youth; the police were in here, and then we decided to turn it into a hotel," said Blauch.
Blauch and Tom Chapman are the men behind the 19-room hotel.
There is also an on-site spa and wellness center, Jim Thorpe Massage & Wellness Studio, and a nutrition bar offering healthy snacks and drinks.
Chapman says they are filling a void for those looking to stay overnight in Jim Thorpe.
"Parking's an issue in Jim Thorpe, obviously. Everybody knows it, and so we have enough parking to fill. So, you come here to leave your cars right here. No problems whatsoever, and like we mentioned, there used to be a lot of hotel rooms here. There's not as many now. We hear it on the street, hear people are staying all over the place," said Chapman.
The owners say converting this historic structure from county offices into a hotel was not an easy task.
"Nine, ten months of just demolition, removing out what we had so we recycled to save as much of the building as we could," Chapman said.
Several photos of the borough and the YMCA in its prime are hung throughout the hotel to showcase the building's history.
"Most of the people from town here in this side of town learned to swim here, bowled here. So, we've been hearing that now for almost three years, so we've been getting a lot of that input from them, so it's pretty cool to bring this back to the community and the people that are here going through this transition to this," said Chapman.
The owners hope to open by the end of this month.