After two years of construction, overnight guests began staying at the Edgewater Hotel in September after facing a long road of controversial changes.
The $100 million, privately-funded renovation of the historic hotel, which originally opened in 1948, features extended stay suites and larger rooms.
The hotel, which has hosted celebrities like Elvis Presley and Elton John, underwent an expansion in the 1970s to accommodate more hotel guests while adding a restaurant, among other features, according to its website.
The number of rooms in the hotel increased from 107 to 202, and the new rooms are much larger, Rod Hise, spokesperson for the Edgewater Hotel, said.
The new Edgewater Hotel began hosting events the last weekend of August, Hise said. Since then, other elements of the hotel have slowly been opened, he said.
Hise emphasized the benefits of the newly remodeled hotel as a community gathering place.
“The Edgewater will be an incredible asset to the community, not just because of its wonderful facilities, but because it was built to become a place that all of Madison can gather,” Hise said.
The Edgewater Hotel features a public plaza that overlooks Lake Mendota. The plaza will host many public events, and in the winter, it will be home to an ice rink, providing a unique and outstanding opportunity for the community to gather, he said.
Increasing access to the lake and providing public space that could serve the community was one of the main goals of the new building.
“The public plaza and the Edgewater’s place in the community as an asset really go hand in hand,” Hise said.
Along with the plaza, the hotel is home to a number of restaurants and bars, he said.
The original plan for the hotel faced opposition a few years ago from the community regarding its funding and location with its proximity to the Capitol.
The developer originally asked for $16 million in tax incremental funding, a method cities use to help fund developments, but the Edgewater plan went forward without the funding, Ald. Ledell Zellers, District 2, said.
She said community members also voiced concerns that the hotel would block views of the Capitol. The original plan would have seen the hotel built in the middle of the intersection, potentially blocking the view of the Capitol from the lake, Zellers said.
The final design of the Edgewater preserved that view of the Capitol.
“The project improved a lot along the way,” Zellers said. “This was something that evolved to be much, much better than the original idea. It has turned out to be an attractive building, I think. In general, people are pretty happy with it.”
Now that the hotel is open, Hise said he is excited for what the hotel will bring to the community and its visitors.
“There is not another facility like this in Madison,” he said. “We look forward not just serving the people of Madison, but also the folks who visit from out of town, with a new experience.”
Correction: A previous version of this was published with incorrect figures regarding room numbers as well as incorrect date of reopening. Changes have since been made.
