The 1857 Hotel opened in Paducah, Ky., a UNESCO Creative City. Housed in a renovated red-brick antebellum building that originally served as a gentlemen's haberdashery and an adjoining turn-of-the-century tractor repair shop, the circa-1857 hotel has well-preserved façade and a contemporary interior. The building contains most of the guestrooms, while the tractor shops serves as a bar and event space.
Paducah restaurateur Paul Gourieux developed and owns the hotel with his partner Jorge Martinez. Gourieux handled the design while Martinez served as general contractor.
The guestrooms have an open floor plan, giving them a loft-like aesthetic. The rooms also have high ceilings, tall windows and exposed brick. Gourieux personally chose furnishings for the rooms, so that the property has 10 rooms that look different from one another.
The property also has a small art gallery in the restaurant, where local art hangs throughout on a rotating basis.
The hotel is located near the town's attractions, including the Carson Center for performing arts, National Quilt Museum and Paducah Wall to Wall floodwall murals. Culinary offerings include Freight House restaurant, Tribeca Mexican Cuisine, JP's Bar & Grill, Dry Ground Brewing Company, Kitchens Café at Paducah School of Art & Design, Paducah Beer Werks, Cup of Pipers Tea & Coffee, and Silent Brigade Distillery. Paducah is home to a number of galleries, such as Make, Ephemera, The Yeiser Art Center and River Discovery Center.