10/31/2009 7:05:02 AM

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By Tim Ruzek

Post-Bulletin, Austin MN 

Laura Helle says she's too busy to celebrate the completion of the Hormel Historic Home's $2 million expansion and upgrades.

	What's happening: Hormel Historic Home is opening its nearly $2 million addition this weekend. Why it matters: The nonprofit hopes to get a consistent revenue stream of rentals for the new space to help maintain the home built in 1871. When you can view it: For a freewill offering, people can take a self-guided tour of the Hormel home from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Helle, the home's director, has 14 paid events booked in November for the Hormel home -- an increase from the four events during the same month last year.

As she walked around the new 200-person banquet hall Thursday, Helle talked about all of the possibilities for the historic residence run by a nonprofit. She also felt some relief with construction ending.

"It feels pretty amazing," Helle said.

Nick Endres booked the addition's first event. On Sunday, the Endres family expects about 175 guests for a graduation party for their daughter Elizabeth, who graduated last spring from Austin High School.

Endres, who owns Endres Window Cleaning in Austin, said the expansion is "absolutely beautiful."

He checked it out last week when he had a crew cleaning windows there, which his business has done for about the past five years. The addition dignifies the rest of the home, Endres said, and it gives another choice for hosting events.

Three meeting rooms -- named George, Lillian and Jay, after the Hormel family -- make up the banquet hall, with each fitting about 65 to 70 people, Helle said. The rooms can open into one hall for 200 people.

Construction began last spring, including demolishing the 1939 Carriage House.

Built in 1871, the Hormel home once was the residence of Hormel Foods founder George A. Hormel and his wife Lillian until 1927. They then donated the home for nonprofit use.

A stained-glass window from the 1890s is featured in the addition's main area. Officials with the home bought the window online from a dealer in Oregon, Helle said; it originally was part of a Minneapolis home torn down around the 1960s.

Leaders of the expansion project tried to recreate the home's historic look in the addition, including the use of crown molding and wood trims, Helle said. There's also a big fireplace and a similar color theme.

"We definitely didn't want it to look modern," she said.

Large windows on the south-side, main entrance look out at the property's Peace Garden, which now has "speaker rocks" that can be used to play music during outdoor gatherings.

The addition also features a kitchen that's at a professional level for caterers but also easy for volunteers to use, said Helle, who now is a certified food manager so she can manage it.

At this point, renters have to bring in food or hire a caterer, Helle said.

Two TV screens are outside of the kitchen. Plans are to install an overhead camera in the kitchen to enable cooking demonstrations that can be watched on the televisions in the banquet hall, she said.

There has been a demand in the community for a banquet hall of this quality, Helle said. Hopefully it will keep more wedding receptions in Austin, she said.

The biggest number of wedding-related events at the Hormel home was three in 2008, Helle said. Seven wedding events already are scheduled for 2010, she said, with more expected after the home hosts a bridal fair Jan. 24.

Trade shows, conventions and business meetings are other possible rental uses.

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