A forever owner for the Calumet Inn

The Omni Parker Hotel in Boston is reportedly the oldest continuously operating hotel in the U.S., having opened in 1855. Charles Dickens did his first reading of “A Christmas Carol” there, JFK proposed to Jackie in the hotel.
Other historic hotels are in older buildings, but none have been hotels from the start.
The current Calumet Inn (the first one burned in a fire) opened for business in 1888. That’s only 33 years later than the Omni. Considering that Boston was founded in 1630 and Pipestone first platted in 1873, maybe there’s even a comparative ratio that would make the Calumet the oldest continuously operated hotel, and our local history more historically significant than we think.
Regardless, we know that piece of local history is threatened.
Headlines from the Pipestone County Star pertaining to Calumet ownership just since 2009 (when I arrived) tell that story:
•“Calumet changes ownership” — Oct. 14, 2009 (from Shani Christopher, who had owned the building for less than six years, to Steve Klinkhammer of Marshall).
•“Calumet not under new ownership yet” — Nov. 4 (owners Shani Christopher and Todd Griepentrog were premature in their statements about the sale, but they had released the operation to Klinkhammer).
•“Bank takes control of Calumet” — Feb. 3, 2010 — Between November 2009 and February 2010, the building entered foreclosure (officially on Dec. 3) and it’s put up for Sheriff’s Auction, with only one bidder, Security State Bank, for the amount remaining on the mortgage. John and Steve Klinkhammer will be the receiver of the property, meaning they’ll manage it for Security State Bank, as they were doing prior to the auction.
•“Sale pending on Calumet Inn” — Aug. 22, 2012 — Security State Bank confirms a sale is pending, but won’t disclose the new owner yet.
•“New ownership, energy infuse Historic Calumet Inn” — Sept. 12, 2012 — It’s revealed that the Smrkovski sisters, Vanda (26 years old at the time) and Rina (31) are the new owners.
•“Sale of Calumet concluded” — May 5, 2016 — The Smrkovski family sells. Hermann Bauer and Chad McMillan became the official owners of the Calumet on April 16, 2016.
•“Ownership change pending for Calumet Inn” — June 13, 2018 — the Smrkovski family is expected to get the hotel back from Hermann Bauer, and then the hotel’s current general manager, Tammy Grubbs, wants to purchase the hotel.
It’s my opinion that the Historic Calumet Inn is a Pipestone landmark that should be preserved. And yet private ownership hasn’t been able to sustain this property over the long haul. The Calumet has become like that awesome shelter dog that seems so perfect until a family adopts him. Then they learn he barks incessantly, can’t be cured of counter surfing, or growls when the toddler tries to remove a toy from his mouth.
This shelter dog is then returned to the shelter and because he looks like such an awesome dog someone always adopts him and the cycle begins again.
If this cycle is broken, there is plenty of hope for this beleaguered property. Certainly Tammy Grubbs, the current general manager and intended future owner, seems a mature woman of vision and ability who holds a unique blend of restaurant business experience, artistic/creative talent, and deep feeling for the Calumet. If that’s not a winning skill set for this property, I don’t know what is.
Still, there are few who couldn’t use a hand sometimes even when it’s not such a monumental undertaking.
We have people here who have financial, management, marketing and digital marketing skills who could act like volunteer consultants, donating some of their expertise. These things would have to be offered; it’s difficult to ask for help and sometimes a person doesn’t even know what to ask for.
There’s a slew of financial incentives, too, that might be a fit, including the downtown TIF district, the city’s historic grant/loan program, and the blight funds held by both the city and the Pipestone Economic Development Authority.
There’s a clear and present cycle here that needs to be broken if the next owner of this awesome shelter dog is going to succeed where others have not. If the property’s recurring challenges are flushed out and addressed, it may break the cycle and give this downtown icon its forever owner.