Throughout the decades, renovations to Houston's Lancaster Hotel, still standing in its original 1926 location at 701 Texas, arguably made little or no effort to connect back to its historical origins. And several misguided design decisions prevented the hotel from providing guests and travelers with a respite that feels like home. But in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, which completely flooded the Lancaster's basement, and filled the first floor with two feet of water, the slate was wiped clean, and Dallas-based interior designer David Cadwallader and Lancaster principal partner Jay Shinn, also of Dallas, recognized the opportunity to try something new.

“The first time I actually went to the hotel was three days after the flood," says Cadwallader. “It was a total disaster ... almost overwhelming." Just one month after purchasing the Lancaster, Shinn was suddenly facing the seemingly impossible task of repairing, and reopening to the public, a beloved Texas historical landmark. “We started formulating the scope it would take," says Cadwallader, who had already talked to Shinn about a redesign of the hotel's public areas before Harvey.

It was also decided the renovation of the Lancaster's interior would include art. Lots of art. More than 200 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints by Texas artists, all from Shinn's personal collection, are displayed throughout the hotel.

Shinn caught the collecting bug early: At age 10, he was trading masterpieces with other students in his art classes. And being a visual artist himself, Shinn relished the opportunity contribute to the “cultural mecca" of Downtown's Theater District, and exhibit art from his collection in a context other than gallery or museum spaces. “An unexpected encounter with art can conjure new meanings," Shinn says.

The Lancaster’s exterior looks stately and revivedThe Lancaster’s exterior looks stately and revived

The hotel’s newly brightened Cultivated F+B bistro blends white-tablecloth elegance with approachable fare

In the nearby hallway are a group of four wild lithographs by celebrated Chicano artist Luis Jiménez titled “Progress Suite," which depict the evolution of transportation, and caricatures of some very Texan travelers, including a terrified woman on a bucking stage coach about to burst out of her décolletage. (Sharp viewers will see the word “progress" is spelled out in the clouds above each traveler.) Guests are greeted at the mezzanine elevators by Robert Rauschenberg's cool yet colorful assemblage of silk-screened fabrics, “Samarkand Stitches #VII."

Meanwhile, each of the hotel's 84 rooms and nine suites were completely redesigned with new furnishings, upholstery, carpeting, drapes, headboards and mattresses. No two rooms are alike, though each retain elements of the hotel's original classic design, such as brass faucets and marble counters in the bathrooms, and feature two or three works from Shinn's collection.

Since its reopening on Oct. 15, in the press and on social media, locals and tourists alike are singing the praises of the Lancaster, and a carefully executed design that honors the hotel's history, while transcending the fads and trends of today's industry. This is a hotel ready for the next 100 years. “It took a dedicated, working 'village' to accomplish this in one year," says Shinn. “We had an outstanding team with great experience who made the project come together gracefully. It feels wonderful. Like we created something special."

AT TOP: The Lancaster's renovated lobby doubles as a gallery displaying owner Jay Shinn's private collection.