Submitted photo

The Whittier Hotel in downtown Burns will be home to a hotel and brewery.

On Tuesday, May 30, the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department announced that the Whittier Hotel in downtown Burns will receive just under $200,000 from the Oregon Main Street Revitalization Grant program. Grant funds will be used to restore the building, reopen the hotel on the second floor, and relocate Steens Mountain Brewing and Public House to the first floor.

Rick Roy and his wife, Cammie, purchased the Whittier Hotel in May 2022.

The second floor will have up to seven rooms to rent. A major focus for the hotel will be making rooms available for temporary/seasonal workers, such as seasonal wildland firefighters. It is extremely difficult to recruit employees to the area because of the shortage of temporary housing. Travelers will also be able to stay at the Whittier Hotel.

Relocating the pub to the Whittier will give it more exposure and provide another dining/gathering area for community members and visitors alike. The Whittier will have both indoor and outdoor dining and seating areas. Having another dining option in the community, especially along North Broadway, will add to the walkability of downtown Burns.

Local contractors will be conducting most of the restoration work, which helps keep most of these funds in the community. Restoration work will begin later this summer, and it is expected to take approximately a year to complete.