New lobby turns the page on Brooks renovation

WALLACE – Dozens of residents packed the entryway to the Brooks Hotel for the grand reveal of their newly remodeled lobby on Thursday afternoon.  

Giant scissors in hand, owner and operator Emily Nelson chopped through the ribbon to a round of applause, and then it was time to party.  

Nelson’s story is a unique one, filled with highs and lows, but the Wallace business community and residents have rallied around her as she navigates renovating her historic hotel.  

“We are so blessed to be in such a supportive community,” Nelson said. “I think that the story provided, given the adversity we had to overcome to get where we are today, is a relatable experience that hits home for a lot of people.”  

The new lobby area borrows heavily from the past, with ornate wooden displays, marble countertops, warm lighting, and the vintage key display for the hotel’s rooms. What makes it truly special is how Nelson was able to do this while still making it feel modern.  

Nelson knew what she wanted when she began the project; she’d been planning it for a long time. Then, she leaned on her education in architecture and design to put it all into motion.  

“I had spent my summers here since I was a very young girl,” Nelson said. “Summers primarily spent sitting in the office waiting for my grandpa to be done working so we could go play.   

From the beginning, there were two things that drove the design, first is redoing the layout of the space so we could have a focal point on the room keys, and second, it needed to feel elevated and special. To achieve this, I wanted to have a stone anchoring this space to its rich natural surroundings. I scoured several slab yards until I found the perfect piece. I landed on a gorgeous marble that I stare at with awe since installation, it’s my favorite thing in the room.” 

Along with her other renovation efforts in the building’s restaurant and rooms, the lobby’s completion is the end of Nelson’s first phase of work on the hotel.  

Working on a century–old building in a town that is entirely on the National Historic Register of Places is a monumental task, so Nelson decided to document it through videos that she posts to a social media channel completely dedicated to the remodel project.  

“I started a YouTube channel with snippets of my time remodeling to give some insight and some sort of documentation of the progress,” Nelson said. “It’s been a challenging change of habit to put myself and my business out there for people to connect with. I had been too embarrassed for so long to reveal what we had to offer. Some people started watching, and some of those people came out for the party.”  

Many members of the Wallace Chamber of Commerce were on hand to celebrate with Nelson, including Chamber Director Julie George, who talked about how proud she was of Nelson and her work in the hotel.   

“The whole community of the Silver Valley is so supportive of the work Emily has done for the Brook’s Hotel because they feel her youthful passion at work and have seen the monumental change to the historical building and how the business now thrives,” George said. “As a young entrepreneur and creative force, Emily has captured the hearts of our local community. She has brought new life to our historic town and has revitalized the vision of what owning a business in Wallace can be.”