Austin Way Magazine - GreenGale Publishing - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
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118 AUSTINWAY.com About 15 years ago, Liz Lambert took a huge risk on a 1930s f lophouse and turned it into the Hotel San Jose, a sort of au courant time capsule instantly embraced by a newly burgeoning city particularly wistful when it comes to change. She showcased a design sensibility that was unique and sophisticated without being osten- tatious or infringing upon the city's ethos. The transformation of South Congress soon followed (she also opened the popular Jo's Coffee next to the hotel), and people started referring to her in one-breath rever- ence as "Lizlambert." She was given collective carte blanche to realize her visions. In 2006, she started Bunkhouse Management to over- see her slow and deliberate expansion, including the Hotel Saint Cecilia in 2008, the first truly high-end bou- tique hotel in town; the historic Hotel Havana in San Antonio; and the 18-acre El Cosmico trailer and teepee park in Marfa. There's a fascination with Lambert's proj- ects, especially the ones still veiled in secrecy. Bunkhouse's latest project is a ground-up hotel in Todos Santos, an untouched area in Baja Sur, about an hour from Cabo San Lucas. "It's in a great little artist village and on the beach, so we're really excited about that," says Lambert. Bunkhouse will work again with San Antonio's Lake/Flato architects on the property. Lambert is exploring the possibility of more out-of-state projects. When asked if they'll have a Texas sensibility, she says, "If it means a certain sort of honesty to it, I think so. But maybe they're talking about a particular type of hospitality, which is a really welcoming one, and which I think we do really well." Her properties are all different, but they come about the same way, she explains. "We explore the place and the community, and then we come up with a story of the hotel. Once we have a vision of what that is, we design around it." Lambert's projects also pay homage to Austin's identity as a music capital. Both the Saint Cecilia, named after the patron saint of arts and music, and the San Jose offer vinyl libraries for guests. Posters of Keith Richards, John Lennon, and Johnny Cash adorn the walls. And every South by Southwest in March, locals flee to South by San Jose to be reminded of what the festival is really about: gathering with friends in a parking lot to listen to bands and enjoy a few beers. And many Austinites will make the trek to El Cosmico for the eighth annual Trans-Pecos Festival (September 25-28), featuring the Old 97's, Deertick, Heartless Bastards, and Bill Callahan, among others. With such an expansive landscape to work with, El Cosmico is the proj- ect with no end in sight. "All of the properties are special, but this is one I continue to nurture," Lambert says. Trans- Pecos Festival, September 25-28, 802 S. Highland Ave. El Cosmico, Marfa; elcosmico.com AW t h e h o t e l i e r LIZ LAMBERT "We explore the place and the community, then We come up With a story of the hotel. once We have a vision of What that is, We design around it." —liz lambert photography by casey dunn (hotel saint cecilia)