A quaint, historic building just steps away from downtown Fairhope and the waterfront will soon be reopening as a boutique hotel.

Now called the Summit Street Inn, the 101-year-old building at 131 Fairhope Ave., within the Bayfront Historic District, is undergoing renovation and is expected to open to guests later this summer.

Owner Shelley Springer, who also runs Gumbo Real Estate, bought the building in October 2021 from mother-daughter counseling duo Alice and France Fredricks. Living just a couple doors down from the site, Springer said when the house first became available on the market, she had a feeling it could be more than just a residence or an office.

"I’m just looking forward to walking to work every day and having guests from all over,” Springer said. “It’s really interesting watching our town grow. I think Mobile has finally hit its stride with Airbus, the new airport, the industry kind of developing in our area, so we are definitely seeing a surge of people from all over the world and I’m looking forward to meeting some of those people and just trying to enjoy the slow pace this is compared to selling real estate full time.”

The two story, 4,190-square-foot structure was built as the Fairhope Hotel in 1925 by Marmaduke Dyson, an English-born contractor who was also president of the Fairhope Single Tax Colony and played a key role in the city’s early development.

It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. The project is among the first in Fairhope to use the National Park Service Historic Tax Credits and the Alabama Historic Tax Credits, which provide between 20% to 25% credit for the purpose of rehabilitating and restoring historic places.

The hotel will house six guest rooms, including two suites: one upstairs and another downstairs with a private entry to the parking lot. Original parts of the house, such as the heart pine flooring and the transom windows, will remain. The hotel will also serve a continental-style breakfast to guests.

Springer said she hopes to have Summit Street Inn open by the end of June.

“I’ve learned a lot, and I’m very much looking forward to being done with construction,” Springer said. “I feel like I’ve lived it for the last five years, and I’m looking forward to welcoming visitors and even just hosting for locals who have family in town.”