The Hotel Faust is Now the Hotel Giles: Honoring the Architect, Alfred Giles

In the heart of Texas Hill Country and on the banks of the Guadalupe River, downtown Comfort is one of the most well-preserved historic districts in Texas. To honor this tradition, the current owners of Comfort’s first hotel and Texas Historical Landmark are committed to preserving its timeless character and charm and have changed its name to honor its original architect, Alfred Giles. A number of private homes and public buildings designed by Giles are National Historic Places and Texas Historic Landmarks.

Built in 1880 and seamlessly expanded in 1894, Hotel Giles was previously known as the Faust Hotel, named after the family who had purchased it in 1909.

Alfred Giles was born and educated in England and emigrated to the United States in 1873 at the age of 20 where he became one of the most famous and prolific architects in Texas and Mexico. He was retained by Peter Joseph Ingenhuett to build the town’s first hotel and only two-story limestone structure. Ingenhuett, a German immigrant from what was Prussia, had opened various businesses including a saloon and livery stable and was Comfort’s postmaster for twenty-five years.

Giles catered to the dignified gentry of the time with careful attention to symmetrical and conservative designs.  The original building of Hotel Giles was encased in smooth-faced native limestone blocks and the interior followed a popular dog-run plan with a central reception hall and two guest rooms on either side. A central staircase led to an identical layout on the second floor with galleries across the front and back on both floors, a copper-clad tinner’s roof and a large stone fireplace.  The 1894 addition was constructed of hammer-dressed ashlar limestone and beaded mortar with curved stone lintels above the doorways, iconic arched parlor windows and gothic lintel cross, where Giles skillfully integrated with the straight lintels and other features from the 1880 construction.

With great appreciation to Alfred Giles, we invite you to come and enjoy first-hand the old-world charm and modern comforts of the Hotel Giles while you relax on the front porch, Grand Salon, Gazebo or Smokehouse. To learn more about this great architect, visit the Texas State Historical Association website.

Architecture should speak of its time and place but yearn for timelessness. ― Frank Gehry