Check out the Nashville Business Journal’s article with a virtual tour of the Russell Nashville Hotel with Marq Burnett and Martin Cherry:

“When guests enter The Russell Hotel, they won’t be greeted with your typical check-in desk.

While there is a mock front desk, there won’t be anyone manning the area, reflecting the Russell’s technology-based experience. Instead, guests use their smartphones to check in and out.

The Russell, a 23-room boutique hotel in East Nashville, was constructed in the former Cumberland Presbyterian Church, built in 1904. The first guests are scheduled to check in June 5.

Among the 23 rooms, eight are single beds while 15 have multiple sleeping options, including two suites.

Depending on the day of the week, rooms at The Russell range between $150 and $400 a night.

The Russell blends elements from the church, like some of the building’s original stained glass and pews as headboards in the majority of the rooms. Room numbers are styled as bible verses. Exposed brick in certain parts of the hotel give it a modern, rustic feel. There’s an old-school luggage lift on the first floor for guests who prefer not to haul their belongings upstairs.

For a look inside, check out the slideshow with this story.

Micah Lacher, president of Anchor Investments, which developed The Russell, said the build-out represented a $7 million investment.

The Russell also features a photo booth and an on-site podcasting recording studio for guests or visitors.

Each night’s stay supports local nonprofits that serve homeless people. An average weekend stay would provide “16 warm meals and a bed,” according to The Russell’s website.”

At the Russell we believe in the community we are in and it is evident in how the hotel was built. We used metal working craftsmen to build the armoires in the rooms, we used local artists to paint the murals on the walls, and even used our friends at Maplebuilt to build the mirrors in the bathrooms. We want to support the local community in Nashville and believe a large part of that charge is to use local small businesses to construct the hotel itself.

Come check out the beautiful work our local artisans have done and stay in The Russell Nashville Hotel!

The Russell Nashville Hotel is designed to preserve and utilize all of the best features of the 115 year old structure it is built within. You look everywhere from the entrance, to the bathrooms, to the rooms themselves and find historical notes from the original building. Every one of these features is utilized to emphasis the importance of the structure to the community, but more importantly to remember the people who filled the church to build the neighborhood to what it is today.

Our friends at WTVF interviewed the founder Micah Lacher for his thoughts on the inspiration behind The Russell Nashville Hotel. Watch the clip at the link below:

https://www.newschannel5.com/news/historic-church-now-one-of-east-nashvilles-newest-boutique-hotels

Quoted from our friends at News Channel 5:

“NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A historic church is now one of East Nashville’s newest boutique hotels. The Russell is a space ready for saints and sinners alike.

“We open on June 5 right in time for CMA Fest,” said Micah Lacher, President of Anchor Investments. “We have 23 rooms on three different floors in the hotel.”

The church, which was was built in 1904, has 40-foot ceilings and a bell-tower.

Originally Cumberland Presbyterian, its named for its location on the corner of Russell Street and 9th Avenue.

“We’re about a mile walking to Titan’s stadium. All the restaurants and bars in East Nashville are only two blocks away,” he said.

Lacher says the building may be old, but the concept is brand new.

“We have multiple hotels here in town. They’re all technology-based so they’re won’t be someone at the front desk. Everything is communicated through technology on your cell phone. It’s all automated. We have concierges but they work remotely,” he said.

Every corner has one-of-a-kind details. The color pallet was inspired by the stain glass, the bed are converted pews, even the wall-paper has religious references.

And while The Russell is no longer a place of worship, Lacher says the hotel is projected to donate more than 100-thousand dollars towards local non-profits just in the first year. He hopes their presence will bless the Nashville community.”

The Russell Nashville Hotel wants to wish all of our friends in the military domestically and abroad a happy Memorial Day. Without your sacrifice, we would not live in the greatest country in the world!

Not everyone can come to town to enjoy the Ryman, go to a Titan’s game, or enjoy the pedal taverns downtown. Fortunately, The Russell Nashville Hotel has offerings for all of the above and the business traveler as well. Located just one block away from WeWork and a mile away from downtown, the business traveler can enjoy co-working space as well as easy access to major downtown buildings.

Come join us for a week long work trip and take advantage of the ideal placement of the Russell Nashville Hotel.

Red, yellow, black and white…and orange, and blue, and red, and pink, and purple…The Russell Nashville Hotel loves all the colors of tile in the world.

At The Russell Nashville Hotel we do not think there is any such thing as having too many colors in the tile. You will find orange accents in the bathrooms, baby blue in the foyer, red in the bathroom, and many others. The colors pay homage to the diverseness of the surrounding community and how each diverse culture, ethnicity, and race has built this beautiful neighborhood.

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With touches of class, color, history, and art, we promise you have never seen bathrooms like this before. While still getting the finishing touches The Russell Nashville Hotel features different color bathrooms in each room. All outfitted with steeple inspired custom mirrors constructed by Nashville’s own mentoring-woodworking power house Maplebuilt. They leave touches of history of the building with exposed beams and original brick. All capped off with some of the most magnificent tile work ever to contrast the beautiful colors.

These bathrooms are sure to be the most Instagram worthy in all of Tennessee, but it is even better to remember that with each of these bathrooms built, one young man in North Nashville received valuable mentorship, friendship, and life skills from our friends at Maplebuilt.

With Bonnaroo fast approaching, there is no better way to cool off, clean up, and relax after the music festival than a quaint stay in the Russell Nashville Hotel. Bonnaroo is held in Manchester, Tennessee about an hour south-east of the Russell. The drive is very easy and you could even use The Russell as your nightly accommodations while attending the festival during the day.

For those who do not want to make the drive back and forth though, The Russell features colorful rooms, decorated with soft colors and inviting finishes (take a peek at our mosaic floors below), giving you a great place to chill out after jamming in the sun. You will find beautiful decorated bathrooms where you can wash the grime of concert off, while enjoying the luscious sheets, and cool a/c.

Whatever you choose, we hope your plans include The Russell Nashville Hotel!

Read below where the Chattanoogan’s Erin Horne describes the thought behind The Russell Nashville Hotel.

https://www.chattanoogan.com/2019/5/7/389801/Historic-Nashville-Church-Resurrected.aspx

“A historic East Nashville church is being resurrected as a lodging hotspot in one of the city’s hippest neighborhoods. The Russell—aptly named for its location at Russell Street and 9th Avenue—is now accepting reservations for its 23 guestrooms.

“East Nashville is known for its quirky vibe and buzzing restaurant and nightlife, and The Russell is the perfect place to stay to take it all in,” said Micah Lacher of Anchor Investments, which developed the property.

“The outside looks like the original church building did in 1904, but inside guests will discover inviting, modern accommodations with subtle nods to the building’s religious roots.” 

The lobby in particular shows off plenty of the preserved architectural features including two massive stained-glass windows, exposed beams and a sweeping 40-foot-tall ceiling. The auditorium and classrooms were converted into 23 splendidly-colored guestrooms and suites with paint colors drawn from those of the vivid palette of the stained glass.

The church’s pews have been upcycled to form contemporary headboards, and handmade church-style pendants hang from the lobby walls paying homage to legends like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. Local artists were employed to craft one-of-a-kind touches like brightly colored tile, arched bathroom mirrors and more.

The transformation from religious site to boutique hotel included repurposing the church’s bell tower into a stunning suite that boasts an interior balcony with Instagram-worthy views of the stained glass.

The Russell caters to the digital age and guests can snap a photo in the lobby Smile Booth or record themselves in the in-house podcasting studio. Additionally, The Russell allows guests to easily check in and out using their cell phones and features a digital concierge.

Part of the allure is the walkability to venture out and explore East Nashville’s vices. Located in one of Nashville’s oldest neighborhoods, The Russell is steps from such hot spots as Stay Golden Restaurant & Roastery and Edley’s Bar-B-Que. Other local favorites include The Basement East for live music, Butcher & Bee for a fantastic meal, and dozens of other shops, bars and restaurants.

“Here at The Russell we emphasize experiencing the local culture and, in doing so, giving back to the community,” said Lacher. “Each night’s stay supports local non-profit organizations that provide resources to Nashvillians experiencing homelessness.”

The average weekend stay is equal to 16 meals and warm beds for homeless individuals in the area. The Russell is projected to donate more than $100,000 toward non-profits in its first year of operation.”

Adam Sichko reported on the transaction that started the process last July. Read his story below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2018/07/13/check-out-the-stained-glass-on-this-church-turned.html

“A Nashville real estate investor plans to turn a church that’s well more than a century old into a boutique hotel.

Anchor Investments LLC, led by president Micah Lacher, has paid $1.9 million for the church and parking lot at 819 Russell St. Lacher said he intends to turn the property into a 17-room boutique hotel. The plans furthers Lacher’s entry into the hospitality business, a sign of expansion for a firm that has more often dealt in office, retail, residential and industrial deals.

“This will be a perfect complement to 506 Lofts, our downtown hotel. We cannot wait to return this historic church to its former glory,” Lacher said in a statement.

Renderings and other information should be available in the next month or two, Lacher said. He won Metro approval for his plans in May.

Life Church International sold the property to Anchor Investments. For decades, it housed the Russell Street Church of Christ.

Lacher is aiming to open the yet-unnamed hotel in early 2019. His company plans to donate a percentage of each night’s revenue to Room In The Inn and the Nashville Rescue Mission.

Lacher has retained Powell Architecture and Building Studio on the project.”

As we embarked upon the project to transform the 115 year old church into The Russell Nashville Hotel, we could only imagine how much work and effort would go into the building to restore it to its previous glory, but that dream was enhanced when looking at the structure from the sky.

With the incredible peaking roofs, beautiful tower, and irreplaceable stain glass you can see the love and appreciation the church was built upon. Click through our gallery above to see the beautiful features of the building.

We plan to capture the beauty and resiliency of the building with The Russell Nashville Hotel’s design. Fortunately for us, we were given a wonderful canvas to begin with!