“I was most impressed by the creativity of the renovation in terms of the found spaces—the idea that they not only enhanced what may have been there but elevated it to a more contemporary and consistent language, not just internally but also externally.”
— Gordon Gill, FAIA
“This is a lovely renovation and so well executed, both in terms of the restoration itself and the appointment of interior finishes.”
— Roberto de Leon, FAIA
Location Waco
Clients AJ Capital Partners; Magnolia
Architect Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture
Design Team James Plunkard, AIA, Sophie Bidek, AIA, Andrew Shimanski, Krista Weir, Janice Jones
Contractor Whiting-Turner
Structural Engineer Armstrong-Douglass
MEP Engineer Hendrix Consulting Engineers
Civil Engineer CP&Y
Interior Designer Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture
Acoustical Consultant IMEG
Photographer Cody Ulrich Photography
The Karem Shrine Temple, constructed in 1928 in the Moorish Revival-style, is a contributing property to the Waco Downtown Historic District. Its transformation into Hotel 1928 after two decades of dormancy returns to public use a building that has held significance as a gathering place throughout the city’s history. The program comprises 33 guest rooms, three restaurants, a ballroom venue, and a rooftop terrace. Many existing elements, including arched openings, clay tile roofs, and carved Freemason and Shriner emblems, were preserved, and previously underutilized spaces were reclaimed to generate usable square footage without expanding the building’s footprint. The flat roof was converted into restaurant use by building atop a new sunken structure, and the partial basement that once housed the coal chute is now a library with a double staircase and 20-foot ceilings.