Clear Lake home continues as bed and breakfast under new ownership

(Above) The Larch Pine Inn, 401 N. 3rd St.

A historic Clear Lake home will continue to operate as a bed and breakfast under new ownership.

Paula Hanus has announced the Larch Pine Inn, located at 401 N. 3rd St., is welcoming guests, continuing a hospitality tradition which began in the 1940s.

According to Hanus, a previous owner, Bertha Jones turned the home into a boarding house after her husband Ira Jones passed away. She did this around the end of the 1940’s.  Ira Jones was a prominent Clear Lake attorney. It seems after Ira died, Bertha turned the first floor into an apartment, converting the library into her bedroom. She then added private bathrooms to all the second floor bedrooms. Turning one of the second floor bedrooms into a common space and adding a kitchenette.

“She was a very forward thinking lady. Even back then, she understood the value of private bathrooms in the hospitality business,” Hanus said admirably of the previous owner.  In the 40s, sharing a bath in a Boarding House was very common. Having a private bath would have been almost unheard of or definitely considered a high-end luxury item.

That’s what appealed to Hanus when

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she bought the Larch Pine Inn Bed and Breakfast in January 2018. She had four criteria that needed to be met before she would even consider buying a Bed and Breakfast. The first was that all the bedrooms have private bathrooms. Second, she wanted a bedroom on the first floor, near the kitchen for the Innkeeper to live. Third, the Inn itself needed to be in a town that would attract tourists; and finally it needed to be located near those attractions. So when the Larch Pine Inn met all the criteria, she started to think more seriously about getting into the hospitality business.

The home itself has a lot of history. Built in 1875, it was probably one of the first homes Woodford Lumber and Home built in Clear Lake (Woodford Lumber was started in 1869). Built by Champ and Nancy Pattie, the home’s first 50 years served three generations of the Pattie family, before it was sold to Ira and Bertha Jones. The Joneses then sold the house to Vincent and Marnis Minette sometime in the late 50s, early 60s. The Minettes raised their family in the home and moved to the first floor apartment when Vince and Marnis became empty nesters. They then started renting the three second floor rooms to schoolteachers; continuing the long tradition of hospitality.

Gary and Elaine Ficken turned the house into a Bed and Breakfast in the late 1980s, followed by Darlene Sherwood, and now Hanus.

“So the Larch Pine Inn has been a Bed and Breakfast for over 30 years. We are the third Bed and Breakfast owners,” commented Hanus.

Before the Hanuses bought the house, the Larch Pine Inn was rated one of Iowa’s “Top 10 Cozy Bed and Breakfasts” and they have tried hard to keep that rating. Currently, the Inn is ranked number one on Trip Advisor as the top B&B in Clear Lake.

The goal is to blend modern amenities with the charm and character of its romantic Victorian roots. All guest rooms are tastefully decorated and fully furnished with a comfortable king or queen size bed, hotel quality ‘Comphy’ pillows, comforters and bedding.  “We want it to look like a Victorian home, but feel like a Weston,” said Hanus.

During the off-season, Hanus hopes to add special events like mystery or historic dinners, fashion shows and Victorian High Teas at the house.  However, she said she would need to partner with a caterer before tackling those types of events.

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