ENTERPRISE — An historic piece of Enterprise is on its way to being restored to its former glory — and it’s almost open for business in a part of town that’s in need of it, as work continues on the Litch Hotel.

The historyThe original building, at the corner of Main and River streets, was built in the early 1880s as a one-story wooden structure, according to the Oregon Historic Sites Database. Over its lifetime, it has housed a saloon, a general mercantile store, an antique store and other incarnations. A fire in August 1902 destroyed the building, which was replaced the following year by another wood-frame building.

In 1907, according to the website, Samuel and Ella Litch bought a partial interest in the building for $10,000. In 1909, Sam Litch announced plans to construct a stone building on the site and a second story was added.

More than a century later, brothers Andy and Todd McKee, originally from Colton and who have lived in Enterprise about 10 years, started a restoration project on the Sam Litch Building in 2017 with the goal of turning the building into a hotel. According to a 2019 Chieftain story, they received a $200,000 matching Main Street grant through Oregon’s State Historic Preservation Office.

But that was just the start for the brothers, who have lived in Enterprise about 10 years. Through a bank and private financing, the brothers came up with another $525,000 for the project. When all is said and done, Todd McKee said, the project will cost close to $2 million.

By keeping Sam Litch’s name on the hotel they’re paying tribute to an early developer in the county.

“He was a visionary,” Andy McKee said. “He was one of the first … to have a farm that had electricity.”

With Litch’s connection comes a lot of history Andy wants to keep.

“This is me and we want to preserve some of this,” he said.

That’s part of what they’re doing. The more than a century of additions and construction on the building left it in a state of disrepair that needed serious work.

“This whole section of the building would’ve collapsed if we hadn’t come in here and put in steel beams and done this work, because this was originally a single story on the corner and they built right on top of the single story,” Andy said. “(The portion) that was built in 1909 was stone, but when they put the second story on, they didn’t beef up anything, so it’s been a continual problem over the years. There were 40 broken floor joists in here, so it was really only a matter of time before the whole corner collapsed.”

The planThe Litch Building contained numerous vacant storefronts for many years. The McKees hope to change that with the addition of a hotel with 13 unique, Wallowa County-themed units for guests downtown.

Their plan is for first things first. Discussions of revitalizing the downtown business district often revolve around bringing businesses back, but Andy said he believes something else must come first.

“We tried figuring out a way we can keep this building full,” he said. “Originally, we were going to do all these big commercial spaces. The problem is, there’s not a lot of evidence they’re going to stay full at this point. … You can’t have the commercial spaces before you have the infrastructure and hub. We’re hoping that having 13 rooms here with people spending money and staying here it will create a micro-economy on Main Street to fill in some of the holes that businesses need to survive.”

But they want to do it in a way that retains the flavor of historic Enterprise.

“People want to preserve their way of life, but in order for businesses — we want the same things — we want businesses to be able to thrive,” Andy said.

The hotelAt first glance, the spaces in the Litch Building resemble storefronts — which many were at one time. But on closer inspection, each is a separate unit with a unique story.

The wide-open windows initially appear to give little privacy, but they have blinds that lower electronically.

“Each unit has its own kitchen and bedroom and each unit has a specific Wallowa County theme,” Andy said. “We’re trying to do something to showcase what makes the county really cool and unique, so each unit is different with a different theme.”

Among those themes is the Fergie Unit, which showcases the Ferguson Ridge Ski Area.

“It’s all ski-themed and that’s one of the things that makes our county cool,” Andy said.

Not only does it have art depicting the ski area, there are skis and even a (nonworking) chair lift a guest can sit on.

There’s also the Chief Joseph Days Rodeo Unit, with art paying tribute to the county’s premier summer event.

“It’s just completely unique, different and everything, down to the tiles, the countertops and having a unique experience,” Andy said. “We’re trying to keep everything unique and fluid.”

The Camping and Wilderness Unit pays tribute — and sparks curiosity in — the outdoors of Wallowa County.

“Each one is designed different completely,” Andy said. “There’s a lot of places to stay here, but we want to give people a cool experience that Wallowa County has to offer.”

The units are designed to inspire people to explore the county.

“People are curious and will want to get more and more information,” he said. “They’ll get passionate about what you’re doing.”

A similar one is the Mountain Unit, which also inspires a desire to get out into the mountains. Then, there’s the Mill Unit, which pays tribute to the lumber mills that drove the county’s economy for so long. That unit even includes locally milled wood — once part of the ceiling — that is now used in the walls.

The McKees also came up with a unique type of guestbook, unlike that which is found in most hotels. Each unit has a chalkboard with colored chalk guests are encouraged to sign. Some with a more artistic bent demonstrate that by drawing pictures in addition to simply signing it.

“It’s better than having a regular guestbook to flip through,” Andy said. “There’s people coming from all over.”

The brothers said they have three units in operation now and expect to have the entire hotel operational by the end of next summer.

Staying there, however, is no Motel 6. Even in the offseason it’s not cheap, but rates vary based on demand.

“In the winter, you might be able to stay here for $150 a night or during Chief Joseph Days it might be several hundred dollars a night,” Andy said. “Just like all the hotels in the county, it fluctuates based on demand. … When demand is low, prices are reasonable; when demand is high, prices are much higher.”

Guests can rent by the night, by the week or whatever they like, Andy said. The Litch Hotel is available on numerous booking channels online, but he recommends going on their website.

“That saves a lot of money because Airbnb (and others) put their cut on it,” he said. “If you go directly (to the website), we’ll give you the lowest and best price.”

But it’s all about doing what they can to improve and preserve Enterprise and Wallowa County.

“We have a vested interest here and we’re trying to do something that is supported by the community that doesn’t try to just ramrod some crazy design concept in,” Andy said.

What: Eagle Cap Vacation Rentals

Who: Andy and Todd McKee

Where: Main and River streets, Enterprise

Phone: 541-426-1155

Email: support@eaglecaprealestate.com

Online: eaglecap-vacationrentals.com