116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Former Clayton County Jail transforms into Elkader rental house
Spend a night in your pick of cells
Mar. 2, 2024 6:00 am, Updated: Mar. 4, 2024 10:02 am
Guests at the Elkader Jail House Inn can relax in the “cell block,” of the historic building, where remnants of original steel cells have been left in tact. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
The Elkader Jail House Inn served as the Clayton County Jail until 2006 in Elkader, Iowa. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
Guests at the Elkader Jail House Inn can relax in the “cell block,” of the historic building, where remnants of original steel cells have been left in tact. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
The Emma Big Bear suite, named after a former resident and rumored inmate at the Clayton County Jail in Elkader, Iowa, is one of several available at the Elkader Jail House Inn in Elkader, Iowa. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
The Elkader Jail House Inn features a large gourmet kitchen. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
A balcony at the Elkader Jail House Inn overlooks hills of trees above the town of Elkader, Iowa. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
Most rooms at the Elkader Jail House Inn feature large en suite bathrooms with separate tubs and showers. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
An undated photo shows the historic Clayton County Jail, which was built in 1870 and served as a jail and base for other operations until 2006, when it was converted into the Elkader Jail House Inn. (Elkader Jail House Inn)
ELKADER — Iowans wanting to spend a night in the big house don’t have to commit a crime to do so. In fact, you’ll pay extra for the opportunity.
At the Elkader Jail House Inn, several bedroom suites are available to rent for the night, complete with luxurious en suite bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen and a “cell block” living room overlooking downtown Elkader.
“It’s a really cool property, a slower pace of life and a great getaway,” said co-owner Nick Spohn.
If you go
What: Elkader Jail House Inn
Where: 601 E. Bridge St., Elkader
Website: elkaderjailhouseinn.com
Cost: Each suite runs about $100 to $150 per night, with seasonal fluctuations
How to book: Bookings can be made directly on the Elkader Jail House Inn’s website, or on third-party home rental websites like AirBNB
How it happened
After driving by the former jail a few times with her husband in 2006, Julie Carlisle-Kane had a thought most don’t think about in the sight of a correctional institution.
“I thought it would be such a cool home and bed-and-breakfast,” she said. “The integrity, the structure, it was striking. You could tell just by looking at it, as rough as it was, that it still had some integrity that, if taken care of well, could be a beautiful structure again.
“And, dang it, it happened.”
The historic 1870 building, used as a jail and center of operations for Clayton County until 2006, was purchased by Carlisle-Kane for $350 — the same amount the county paid for the land when it was purchased in the 19th century.
Though the structure’s defining limestone foundation was left in tact, the building needed a significant amount of work to mitigate disrepair and transform it into a new purpose. Its new owner, who had previously undertaken another massive home restoration in Dubuque, put more than $400,000 into the jail house to make it a home worth visiting.
“When I took my husband through the building, room by room, I had a vision,” Carlisle-Kane said.
Inside the space
The old cell block, with steel walls and wall-mounted hooks for chains intact, became a new dining and recreation area to have a drink, enjoy dinner or play cards. A drop ceiling, installed in the 1960s or 1970s, was removed to reveal another level of cells ignored for decades.
Cells still bear the inscriptions from inmates who scratched their names and dates into them.
“All of the inmates could come out of their cells at any time to go to the bathroom, sit and watch TV, or play cards,” Carlisle-Kane said.
At one point, a high-level catwalk connected it all.
The judge’s chambers became a primary suite, where the new owners lived until they sold it to the current owners in 2020. The front entrance was reconstructed, and two other suites were made out of the former 911 dispatch center.
Other offices were made into bedrooms as two rooms downstairs were converted into one large gourmet kitchen with high-end appliances.
Bathrooms for each suite, most of them connected to their bedroom, feature their own bath tubs. Some have separate showers, as well.
The name of some suites tell a story, too.
The Emma Big Bear Suite, pays homage to a Native American jewelry maker and basket weaver who was the last of her tribe in Elkader. Urban legends say she would imbibe more during the winter in an act of desperation to be put in the jail’s drunk tank, where she would have a warm place to stay for the night.
Today, the actual bars from the drunk tank reside in a museum in Monona.
The Harstad Suite on the restored third floor, featuring skylights, was named after Don Harstad, a retired deputy from the Clayton County Sheriff’s Department and novelist who specializes in crime fiction.
Today, there are extra bunk beds in a cell located in the common area for families who want to rent the whole home. New co-owner Nick Spohn said guests love the details that remind you of where you are.
“It’s like you’re in an antique place. It kind of feels like you’re stepping back in time,” he said.
And in the heart of the Driftless Area of Iowa where bluffs and hills add extra charm, there’s plenty of opportunities for time in the nearby “rec yard,” where fishing, hiking, and leisure abounds in the rural county.
Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.
Daily Newsletters