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History of the
Clovis & Maryann Heimsath, Innkeepers 979-966-7771 The building that is now the Country Place Hotel, was built by Hugo Zapp, Sr. in 1900. When the Zapp Building opened as the premier mercantile building in Fayetteville, the town had a population of 2000, and was thriving as the commercial center for nearby farmers, due to the railroad depot and cotton gin. The Zapp Building has earned a historic marker as an unusually fine and well-preserved example of the Romanesque Revival style of architecture. After Hugo Zapp Jr.'s death in 1915, J.P.K. Knipple bought the store and operated it for fifty years. Other sections of the building were occupied by various commercial tenants, which included, at various times, a photographer, a hospital, a school, a cafe, a boarding house, and in the basement during Prohibition, a speakeasy. In the late 1960's the Knipple family sold the building to the Keller family from Houston. The Kellers sold the building to Clovis and Maryann Heimsath in 1972. Clovis and Maryann opened the first Country Place Hotel as a bed and breakfast, and also ran a restaurant called The Country Place Restaurant, on the first floor. The Heimsaths also operated their architecture firm on the first floor until 1983, when the firm moved to Austin (The architecture firm, Heimsath Associates, specializes in liturgical design and historic renovation, and is now led by Clovis and Maryann's oldest son, Ben Heimsath.) Today, Fayetteville remains a peaceful small town, a place to relax and enjoy the art, culture, traditions, food, antiques, and outdoor activities that rural Central Texas has to offer.  |
