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Cedar Rapids Gazette
'Inn Springville' Offers
City Dwellers a Rural Respite
Monday May 31st, 2004 (See below)
Anamosa Journal-Eureka
The Inn Springville Boasts European Flair
Thursday, Feb. 26th, 2004
Click here to read article

'Inn Springville' offers city dwellers a rural respite
By Dave DeWitte
The Gazette
Sunday, May 30, 2004, 5:14:50 PM

SPRINGVILLE -- Lena Gilbert and Gary Knight have overseen the reincarnation of an old country bank as a tiny inn they hope will show city dwellers the better side of life in rural Iowa.

The three-room inn at 258 Broadway blends so well into the Springville's short main street that it could easily be overlooked. A small awning and a brass plaque signify "Inn Springville," housed in the former Springville Savings Bank that more recently housed apartments and an insurance office.

Guests staying at Inn Springville may register, stay, relax and leave as they would at any hotel or motel. But at Inn Springville, guests are also welcome to learn about vegetable farming at Knight's rural Springville produce farm. They can observe the production of everything from asparagus to zucchini, or they can get their hands dirty sorting sweet corn and hitching up the pumpkin wagon, depending on the season.

"We're calling it a farm stay," Gilbert said. "They will have the chance to stay here at a charming inn, and come out to the farm for a certain number of days to see what we do there if they'd like."

Gilbert, a native of Cedar Rapids, returned to the area about two years ago after working most of her adult life in San Francisco. Gilbert, 46, and Knight, 52, rekindled a youthful romance.

The two met decades ago at a sale in Cedar Rapids, but drifted apart. Knight, six years older than Gilbert, enlisted in the military. Twice widowed, he was operating Knight's Farm after a career that included teaching industrial arts at Kirkwood Community College and operating a tavern in Springville.

Gilbert had gone on to a career at Levi Strauss & Co. in San Francisco. She decided to move back to Iowa to be with him, concluding that it would be easier for her to find a job in Iowa than for Knight to move his farming operation to California.

Giving up her job wasn't the only adjustment Gilbert made to return to Iowa.

"The hardest thing was selling my Saab," Gilbert said. "Gary told me he couldn't work on it."

Gilbert also needed to adjust her financial investments. She was looking for a place to reinvest the savings she had cashed out from her Levi Strauss retirement plan. Knight pointed out the former bank building in Springville that she could easily buy.

Filled with older apartments, the building didn't generate a large income, and Gilbert became intrigued by the possibility that it could house a successful inn.

Gilbert and Knight converted the first apartment that became vacant into a deluxe suite with a whirlpool bath and antique furnishings shortly before Christmas, and recently completed a smaller "petite room" that is also equipped with antiques and new bathroom fixtures.

The renovations have brought the rooms up to a modern standard while retaining a flavor of the building's interesting history. Handsomely refinished hardwood floors reveal oil stains at the rear of the master suite where a harnessmaker once treated leather in his shop. Slight irregularities in the walls hint at changes in the building's use over the decades.

Few traces of the original bank remain, although the vault is still largely intact in the building's basement.
When everything is done in a year or two, Gilbert and Knight plan to offer three guest rooms and a small office that will also serve as a gift shop, featuring soaps, honey, and other products wares made on Knight's Farm. For now, guests can buy them on a honor rack in the master suite.

Rooms come equipped with all the comforts found in mainstream hotels, from DVD players to coffee and tea service, even a directory that explains what there is to do in Springville and the surrounding area. Although there is no on-site manager, the inn has a keyless entry system.

One of the first guests to stay at the inn were newlyweds P.J. and Katie Atwood of Cedar Rapids. The couple had been to Knight's Farm, and were interested in seeing what Knight and Gilbert were doing with the inn.

The Atwoods went out for dinner at Downtown Spirits and Dining across the street. They turned in early for the evening, deciding to pass up the Springville night life, and the movie they'd brought to watch on their room's VCR.

"It was very relaxing," P.J. Atwood said. "We both liked what they'd done with the first room."

When Gilbert thinks of the inn, she thinks of the movie "City Slickers," in which a pair of New Yorkers come to the country to participate in a cattle drive. She envisions city dwellers coming to the inn to relax, de-stress, and learn about farming and rural life.

The innkeepers expect city slickers to be their dominant business only during a portion of the year. The remainder of the year, they hope to serve guests visiting family members in the Springville area, or attending events area events and festivals.

Knight and Gilbert are looking for more possible synergies between the inn and Knight's Farm. One idea they've hit on is to offer packages that will include overnight accommodations and use of the farm's picnic pavilion, a park-like setting, for wedding receptions or other group gatherings.

Gilbert said the idea for offering farm stays came to her after a pair of friends from the Northwest who were interested in farming produce on their new acreage came to visit. The couple stayed at the farm in their camper, but could have stayed more comfortably in the new inn if it had been ready.

The price of rooms at the inn are $105 for a deluxe suite and $65 for the basic room. Knight and Gilbert have been trying to acquaint local residents with the inn, hoping they will recommend it for out-of-town guests. "It will be a long slow process to get things up and going, but we're willing to give it a few years," Knight said.
 
Anamosa Journal-Eureka
The Inn Springville Boasts European Flair
Thursday, Feb. 26th, 2004
Written and Photographed by
Michelle Phillips, News Editor

Lena Gilbert loved inns and wanted to own one of her own someday, and that day has come. Gilbert and Gary Knight are currently working on remodeling the old Odd Fellow’s Lodge in Springville, and have appropriately named it Inn Springville. “I had always enjoyed inns and liked to stay at them when I traveled. I always dreamed of being an innkeeper and this opportunity arose. It was just a combination of luck, opportunity and fate,” said Gilbert.

The old brick building that houses the inn was apartments when Gilbert and Knight began working on it, and still has apartments on the second floor. The project is currently in progress with the suite finished and ready to take reservations. A second room is nearing completion and the whole the projected finish is next fall. During the construction, rooms will be offered at a reduced rate. “I used to stay at a B&B near my home in San Francisco, and they offered a discount to the local residents,” added Gilbert, who was raised in Iowa, but spent many years in San Francisco before returning.

Gilbert chose Springville because it is close to the farm she and Knight operate outside of town. “Springville is a nice no nonsense town. There are no parking meters and it’s a quite town with nice, friendly people. It’s centrally located to other attractions, including Grant Wood country. You can actually drive around and see the backdrops of his painting. We are hoping to attract people who are coming to the area. Something that’s not your typical hotel or motel, but has some charm.” Commented Gilbert.

Gilbert said she wants people to feel as if they’ve been transported somewhere else–like they’ve been to another world. She has achieved this feel by furnishing the suite with furniture from around the world and original artwork on the walls giving it a cozy feeling, almost like being at a friend’s house. The suite also has a spa room with a whirlpool tub, cable and a DVD player.

In addition, Inn Springville also sells some retail products including honey and soap produced at the couple’s farm. These items will be available in the common room when it is finished.

Although the inn doesn’t have a restaurant, Downtown Dining and Spirits is right across the street. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Friday, breakfast lunch and dinner on Saturday and breakfast and lunch on Sunday, featuring a brunch as well. At night there is often live music and comedy at Down Under, offering Inn Springville guests a chance for a little nightlife.

Everyone in town has been curious about the project since Knight and Gilbert began renovation, “They’re also very excited about what business this could bring to town,” explained Gilbert. “ I feel really good about being here and good about the journey ahead. I’m very excited about the possibilities and the future.”

Gilbert and Knight have a pavilion on their farm, and are offering a special wedding package for those who would like to use the pavilion and rent the suite for their wedding.

 
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