Gosnell/Twelve Points Hotel
This impressive building at 1277 Lafayette Avenue was erected in 1908 as the Gosnell Hotel. About twenty small hotel rooms were located on the second floor. There were two community bathrooms at each end of the wide hall. Seasonal workers at nearby industrial plants were often long-term guests.
The ground floor held retail space with the restaurant/tavern in the large corner space. Along Lafayette there were locations for five businesses. Through the years those businesses changed many times each serving the needs of the community from bookstores to barber and beauty shops to variety stores.
Eddie Gosnell, who owned this hotel, was quite well known in the area. While he held notoriety in his own right, his wife, Edith Brown, may have been even better known for her Terre Haute business.
Unfortunately, the hotel closed in the 1970s and the building was vacant for years. In 1998 a local man purchased the building. He hoped to bring back its past glory, but the money to transform the space ran out. Nevertheless, this gentleman was successful in keeping the building standing and preserving its long and interesting history. It was not until 2021 that the building gained new owners to invest in the property and bring it back to a new life. Gone are the second-floor hotel rooms. Instead, the spaces are artist studios, featuring local painters, ceramic artists, soap makers, jewelry artisans, and other craft people. The ground floor retail spaces are all filled with local businesses that are unique to this area.
2019
2025
The building is over 100-years old and has seen times of economic growth and periods of decline. Credit and thanks to the preservation minded gentleman who protected it so it could be thriving again and serving the 12 Points neighborhood.
As years passed, that organization’s membership began to decline due to several factors, and the group could not provide the maintenance and upkeep for the building. The building was empty and unused for many years.
Members of the 12 Points Revitalization decided this piece of the historic neighborhood was worth saving. It remains a key architectural feature for this area and rouses memories for area residents. Through the efforts of interested people, the 12 Points Revitalization Initiative, Inc. acquired the property in April 2024. Since then, the group has worked to clean out and stabilize it to prepare it for its next exciting chapter.
