Am I the last person on earth who heard about this?! Someone has finally bought the old, abandoned Herring Hotel in Downtown Amarillo...and they're planning on restoring it to its former glory!

At least, that's what all the evidence points to.

A friend of mine shared a link with a cryptic statement that she "hoped it was true". Hope what is true? One look at the link's thumbnail and I gasped with surprise and joy. The Herring Hotel!

I don't think I have ever clicked on something that fast before.

You can check out the full, well-written rundown over here at Route 66 News. But essentially, the post--originally published on May 17, 2022--goes into detail about who has finally bought the Herring Hotel and what the plans are for restoration. I strongly encourage you to visit the original post linked above, as it has the nitty-gritty scoop!

The post has quite a few links, most notably (to me) a website set up by the buyer that's completely dedicated to showing everything that will go in to the renovation efforts. You can check it out here: The Herring Hotel Project.

And, there's even a stunning little YouTube video to go with it!

This is such exciting news. I can't believe I missed when the news came out back in May. But, I suppose we can consider this a good excuse to give the beloved downtown historic jewel a little more media exposure.

attachment-Herring THC
THC, November 1, 1989
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You see, much like the Barfield, the Herring has sat abandoned and empty for decades. And now, also like the Barfield, it's on track to better and brighter days!

The Herring Hotel been an amazing and iconic part of the Amarillo skyline for the last century, and I'm thrilled to know that we'll have it for years to come.

eBay, Refried.jeans
eBay, Refried.jeans
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The Abandoned Herring Hotel in Amarillo, Texas

You may have passed it a million times while driving downtown, or you may be new to town. Either way, chances are you've seen the beautiful Herring Hotel. The beautiful aging brick tower sits unoccupied on 3rd and Pearce streets. It's a grand building that stands as a reminder of Amarillo's early days as a cattle and oil town and it tells the stories well.

If you've ever wondered what's inside this towering building, just take a peek below.

The Barfield Hotel: At The Heart of Historic Route 66 and Polk Street

The Barfield Hotel was built into a historic building in Downtown Amarillo that shows some of the charm of the Panhandle while remembering the days of speakeasies and prohibition

The Derelict Beauty of Amarillo's Abandoned Buildings

What is it about abandoned buildings tempts our imagination? Perhaps it's the fact that all of these places were once alive at one point of time. All of these buildings were once a part of everyday life.

But as they are now, they are empty and barren. All we have left of these abandoned properties in Amarillo are memories left to the echoes of time.

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