Hotel Evans

Hotel Evans in 1908

Bernt Gilbertson built the Westby House Hotel in 1879, selling it to Erik Christensen Berge, a lumber dealer, in 1882. In 1890, E.C. Evans bought the Westby House from E.C. Bergh and built in 1901, Hotel Evans with a grand opening celebration December 31, 1901.

The invitation-only New Year’s Eve Party included everyone who was anyone in Westby in 1901. Langstadt’s Orchestra provided the music and some of the food choices were; New York Counts on half shell, Fillet of Beef, Roast Bronzed Turkey, Cheese Straws, Mushroom Sauce, Early June Peas, Homegrown Celery, Roman Punch, St. Julian Clare, Wine and Neapolitan Ice Cream.

From the time it was built and for many years, Hotel Evans was one of Vernon County’s best and biggest hotels. But, between the 1930s and the 1970s the Commercial Hotel as it was called then, had a steady decline from one of the best to one of the worst.

Ad from the September 15, 1904,
Westby Times

The clientele had changed from people needing a place to sleep for the night to men finding a place to spend the night, not necessarily for the benefit of sleep. The hotel had become a place where you could rent a room by the day, week or month. Cleanliness of the building was not a high priority for the absentee owners and if the front doors were open when you walked by, you would get a whiff of anything but a pleasant odor.

The restaurant area become a bowling alley during the forties and fifties with LaVerne Jernander as manager. By 1960 the Rod and Gun Club had moved into the former bowling alley and continued there until moving into its current location. A few business used this now empty area for storage.

Known today as the CBC building, the old Hotel Evans is again an asset to downtown Westby. New businesses are located there and the new apartments are clean and rented by the month or year, not the day.