Marfa
The historic Hotel Paisano—once the temporary home for the cast of the movie Giant—has sold to new owners, Lauren Werner King and husband Harrison King. Werner King founded and runs Willow House, a celebrated casita hotel near Terlingua.
Werner King confirmed the purchase on Tuesday.The purchase is still under contract, and she hopes to close in July.
Lanna and Joe Duncan have owned the Paisano, which sits adjacent to the Presidio County Courthouse on Highland Avenue, since they purchased it in 2001 for $185,000 after it had been foreclosed on for back taxes owed.
The building is a two story Spanish-colonial style building with a central courtyard. The Paisano is one of four West Texas hotels designed by the legendary architect Henry Trost of El Paso. The others are the Gage in Marathon, the Holland in Alpine and El Capitan in Van Horn, called the Paisano’s sister hotel, since they share a similar plan.
“We are so grateful to Joe and Lanna for trusting us with this historic property,” Werner King said. “We are so excited! It is a dream project.”
“We will keep the hotel operating as is in the short term,” Werner King said. “Over the summer we will reimagine the dining program entirely with hopes to open the new restaurant and bar by mid September. After the holidays, we will begin to renovate the rooms in phases—only shutting down the hotel for two months from mid January to mid March. We will be redesigning and managing the hotel ourselves and want to honor the original integrity of the architecture.”
The hotel has been a centerpiece of Marfa life with variations on its function since its opening in 1930. Families gathered in its popular restaurant for decades to share stories in a town where everyone knew each other and the cooks and other employees.
It is a popular destination hotel that includes old-fashioned hotel amenities, like a gift shop arcade with an art gallery, Jett’s Grill, a traditional restaurant with a large bar, tables spilling out into the courtyard.
The hotel is decorated with pictures of Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson from the movie Giant. Rooms carry the signature names of cast members, like the “James Dean Room.”
El Paisano Hotel is a Historic Texas Landmark and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Duncans, who also own El Capitan hotel in Van Horn and The Lodge at Cloudcroft in New Mexico, could not be immediately reached for comment.
Werner King built the Willow House in 2018-2019 on the outskirts of Terlingua, about six miles from the entrance to Big Bend National Park. The Judd-style casitas offer views of the Chisos Mountains and the surrounding desert.
Werner King and Harrison King live in Marfa with their 11-month-old son, Dolan. Harrison, a tech entrepreneur and CEO of Sight-in Health, a medical imaging startup. He is the son of James and Tammy King of King Land and Water in Fort Davis.
“We want this to be an asset to the community and a warm space for locals and travelers to gather,” Werner King said.
