Cheyenne Mayor: Boutique Hotel Not Coming To Hynds Building

Cheyenne Mayor Patrick Collins says a possible boutique hotel that had been under consideration for the vacant Hynds Building in downtown Cheyenne is apparently a no-go.

The mayor, in his weekly ''Mayor's Minute" column on Friday, said the idea has been discarded for now:

''I joined a Zoom meeting with the folks that were thinking about building a boutique hotel in the Hynds/Hole location. The hotel franchisers have decided the walk from the parking garage to the site is too long for the hotel to be successful.''

But Collins said that doesn't mean the city is giving up on the idea of finding something to fill the old hotel building and the adjacent "hole":

''Good news is the team has pivoted to using the Hynds as a mixed use, with parking in the hole and housing being built vertically above. After 40 years of the Hynds being empty, and the hole vacant for 19 years now, we need to find a partner to make this project happen.''

According to Visit Cheyenne, the Hynds has a long and interesting history in downtown Cheyenne:

''Built in 1919 by noted Cheyenne entrepreneur and philanthropist Harry P. Hynds, the Hynds Building design was advanced for its time and modeled after buildings in New York City. Similar to current construction methods, the structure has no interior or exterior supporting walls because its mass is carried on a steel “I” beam frame, with poured concrete ceilings and floors."

But the Hynds has been largely vacant since 1985. It is currently home to an artist collective.

The adjacent property commonly known as "the hole" has been vacant since a 2003 fire destroyed a bakeshop that was once located there.

The vacant lot is widely considered an eyesore and one that is especially visible because of its' location in a heavily traveled area of downtown Cheyenne.