Our Story
“Thick walls and the smell of smoke connect you to the past.”
— JOHN DAVIDSON ON ALBERT KEIDEL'S WORK, 1998
Architect, historic preservationist and general man-about-town, Albert Keidel left quite an impression on his family and the city of Fredericksburg. He created a style that went beyond aesthetics, imparting a language to the homes and civic buildings of Fredericksburg with a look, touch, feel, and smell embedded in a sense of place.
Albert's great-grandfather Wilhelm Keidel came to Fredericksburg as the town doctor and judge in 1847, the year after the town was founded. His father, Victor Keidel was a doctor and pharmacist beloved by the community, famous for riding his palomino at the head of the centennial parade. Albert's maternal grandfather was a master stonemason and builder, turned rancher. His mother and sisters grew up reading Goethe and working livestock. Albert was a collector of experience, gathering inspiration from global travels and translating them into his work back home, a beautiful metaphor for what makes Fredericksburg such a unique place—balancing rugged landscapes with refined European influence and the original German settlers’ resourceful nature.
"All the style and class this family has--if we have any-- came from Albert. He knows how to live. He understands plants and animals. He can look at a piece of land, and he knows exactly where the sun is going to rise and where it's going to set and how the breezes are going to blow."
— BECKY PATTERSON, ALBERT'S COUSIN, 1998
Albert, The Hotel
Just like Albert, we represent a delicate balance between grit and refinement, past and present, preservation and progress.
Our hotel is located on Main Street in the center of historic downtown Fredericksburg, TX. Intentionally designed to preserve the town’s distinctive character, the property is a mix of utilization of long-standing, historically-protected buildings that face Main Street, with the new construction tucked away behind the original historic buildings, creating a peaceful escape with quiet sophistication just off bustling Main Street.
Fredericksburg & the Texas Hill Country
You can feel it before you ever see it.
The Hill Country begins just north of Austin, continues south to San Antonio and west for about 200 miles before the topography begins to flatten out. The region is a geographically diverse, 25-county area featuring tranquil lakes and rivers, canyons, rolling hills, several native types of vegetation and free roaming wildlife. The area embraces and preserves the rich history of the early settlers and is now the second fastest growing wine destination in the United States after Napa Valley.