Redlands Hotel in Palestine, Texas. (original) (raw)

I wondered where the name came from. In an old article I discovered that "Redlands" was the winner of a publicnaming contest. The winner received $25. Does the name refer to the red iron ore visible on dirt roads and in backyards? Red dirt certainly makes a lasting impression on children's play clothes.

The Redlands' life as a hotel was short-lived, sad to say. In 1919 it was remodeled into general offices for the International-Great Northern Railroad. It was the railroad that had propelled Palestine into its Golden Age. Incidentally, it is said that Palestine has preserved more lavish homes and buildings from that period than any Texas city save Galveston. The hotel served as railroad offices until 1956, when railroad operations were relocated to St. Louis. (Once again St. Louis played a role in the history of the building.)

The building was vacated, left to suffer from vandals and weather. Twice it was scheduled for demolition. When the second demolition contractor discovered that the bricks were held in place with concrete instead of mortar, he knew that he wouldn't be able to harvest the old bricks intact. He walked away and the city sued him.

In 1975, Norman Mollard, a Palestine native, eyed the facility whose ownership had reverted to the city for back taxes. He bought it for a pittance for his wife Jean and her brother Robert Laughlin from Houston to renovate. The breath of life began to waft through the building. It took twelve men three months just to remove trash from the floors. Beneath the rubble were found pieces of a stained-glass skylight, too far gone to reveal its pattern, so Jean designed a new stained-glass insert for the opening.

Today the Redlands houses25 apartments including a luxurious top-story penthouse. There are offices, a TV station, a radio station, shops with a Victorian flavor, and a popular Chinese restaurant. Feasting on huge golden shrimp dripping in sweet red sauce, I gazed through tall windows at the old Gothic Sacred Heart Catholic Church across the street. It is brilliantly white and stunningly beautiful. But that is another story.

Time changes things. As the Redlands has moved into this distant glory from its original calling, starched tuxedoes have given way to perpetual casual, but the strength and dignity of this house abide to all who enter here.

January 2001 � Sandy Fiedler See Palestine, Texas More Rooms with a Past

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