Winona’s downtown hotel, housing project begins construction

The future hotel, located in the former parking lot of 60 Main Street, will also have several rental units for people who want to live downtown.

Under the purchase agreement approved by the Winona City Council in December, the project will include 70 to 80 hotel rooms and 20 to 30 market-rate housing units.

As part of the project, 7,000 square feet of commercial space near the former home of Jefferson’s Bar and Grill will be redeveloped.

The Winona Port Authority agreed to sell the 60 Main location, which was valued at $545,000 at the time of sale, to Winona Levee Development LLC for $1.

A groundbreaking ceremony took place on Wednesday to mark the start of construction.

Mayor Scott Sherman said the project will benefit the Winona community in many ways.

“I believe it will be an economic boost to our downtown businesses,” Sherman said.

He said the city will benefit from the additional rental spaces that will increase the community’s housing capacity.

Sherman was pleased that the project, which took many years to complete, was led by a local development group.

Many other area entities also play a role in this project.

Wieser Brothers General Contractor Inc. van La Crescent serves as the builder of the project. The company is familiar with projects in Winona, having worked on buildings such as the Wincraft distribution center and St. Martin’s Lutheran School.

River Valley Architects of Eau Claire is serving as the architectural firm for the project.

Wieser Brothers said all suppliers and subcontractors working on the project are local to the region.

According to Wieser Brothers, the 60 Main project is expected to be completed by late summer 2025.