Opened on October 1, 1930, Hotel Settles was built by Will R. and Lillian Settles, following the discovery of oil on their ranch. Designed by architect David Castle, the building was constructed as a solid concrete, 15-story, 150-room hotel with a restaurant and a pharmacy.
At the time, it was the tallest building between El Paso and Ft. Worth. The Settles family owned the hotel for two years, but sold it when the Great Depression gripped the nation and their oil revenues diminished. The hotel went through several owners in the ensuing years.
As the energy crisis of the 1970s came to an end, West Texas suffered from a very large oil bust. The effect on the local economy was staggering as business after business shut down. The historic Hotel Settles was unable to sustain operations as well as repairs to a building that was now more than 50 years old. Sadly, the hotel closed its doors in 1982.
Over the next 30 years, the property fell into further decline. Much of the original interior stone, wood and metal was removed by various owners, and the building was inhabited by pigeons. Fortunately, the hotel garnered much in the way of admiration and attention from the local community, and in the 1990s, a program was funded to purchase and replace most of the broken windows in the building. With each window costing more than $130, it was an astounding show of support for the hotel.
In 2006, G. Brint Ryan purchased the hotel. Ryan, who grew up in Big Spring, was determined to revitalize this aging landmark, and invested $30 million in its renovation. Under his guidance, the building was impeccably restored, and designed with the rich history of the area in mind. The original Grand Ballroom was fully refurbished, with meticulous detail given to its historic context. Other rooms were restored and given names in homage to their regional history. For instance, our T & P Meeting Room was named for the Texas & Pacific Railroad, critical to the growth of the community in its formative years. The Cosden Meeting Room recalls the importance of our local oil industry, the Birdwell Conference Room is in tribute to John Birdwell and the Judge’s Chambers are in homage of the legendary Judge.
