[JoninATX]

Mansion at Judge’s Hill gets a makeover as Hotel Ella

By HELEN ANDERS May, 22, 2013

Mansion on Judge’s Hill is about to close for a month or so to undergo a renovation and rebranding that will renovate the rooms, add a pool and integrate the public and outdoor spaces.

The prime directive for all this has been one simple question: What would Ella do?

Ella and Goodall Wooten got the house as a wedding present from his father after it was built in 1898, and Ella Wooten, known for her impeccable taste and hospitality, turned it into the Greek Revival beauty that stands at Rio Grande Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard today.

She told her husband she’d rather have columns on her house than a trip around the world (and wound up getting both), and she enlisted Neiman Marcus to help create her dream home. She knew what she wanted, and she made it happen.

Hence, she’s the inspiration — and the name. Mansion on Judge’s Hill is scheduled to close June 3 and reopen in July as Hotel Ella. The property is being reconceived as a high-end boutique hotel rather than a bed-and-breakfast, and it will become the only Texas member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

http://www.mystatesman.com/news/life...otel-el/nXxpG/