Hotel Retlaw Review: A Weekend in Fond du Lac
The Lore
The Hotel Retlaw opened in 1923 at One North Main. Eight stories of neoclassical brick, designed by the Milwaukee firm Herbert W. Tullgren & Son, and at the time the tallest building in Fond du Lac. It was built by Walter Schroeder, a Milwaukee hotel magnate who had a habit of naming things after himself. Retlaw is just Walter spelled backwards. He built eight hotels across Wisconsin and Minnesota. This was the second.
What Schroeder built here was genuinely ambitious for a city this size. Two hundred and sixty-five rooms. The kind of place that announced itself. For decades the Retlaw was the place in Fond du Lac, full stop. And today it’s still the tallest thing on the block.
The Arrival
The free “attached” parking garage made getting to the property uncomplicated. I’m putting attached in quotes as the garage itself is connected to the main hotel lobby via the charming annex seen above. The exposed brick on both sides, the steel trusses, and string lights made for a nice hidden entryway.
The front desk check-in experience was smooth and we were in our room unpacking within 5 minutes of parking.
The Commons
Hotel Retlaw’s two-story lobby is the heart of the hotel. Black and white checkered marble floors, dark columns trimmed in white, and the show-stopping double chandelier in the center anchors the whole scene.
At one end is Table One, the hotel’s on-site restaurant. We had the opportunity to have drinks here one night, and followed it up with dinner the next evening. The drinks were Wisconsin-boozy, and the menu was well-intended, but the execution left something to be desired. It might have just been an off night.
But the Arancini, oh the Arancini was sensational. It’s a must on the menu.
On the other end of the lobby is One Main Cafe. Which we frequented for our daily coffee needs.
Up on the second story, and amidst the wraparound mezzanine, you’ll find the various event spaces. None of which were being used during our stay, but we self-toured and found the Crystal Ballroom, the very space where John F. Kennedy appeared during his 1960 presidential campaign.
The Room
A lot of the stories about Hotel Retlaw, both of the historical and spooky variety seem to originate from goings-on throughout the 7th floor. So if that’s your thing, be sure to request a room there.
We stayed in Room 729, a nicely spacious accommodation, albeit one with a noisy AC unit that seemed determined to give us its best during our residency.
The bed was comfy, the hidden television that emerges from the footboard was operational, and the adjoining walls were thick enough to give us a sense of seclusion. As to whether this was due to no sounds overpowering that AC unit or if it was due to the lack of other guests spending the weekend at the Retlaw, we never were quite sure.
The Neighborhood
Step outside the Retlaw and you’re on Main Street.
It won’t dazzle you immediately. Today the street is honest and a little unfinished, lined with brick buildings containing a few small shops that are seemingly outnumbered by bars.
Head north on Main Street and you’ll eventually end up at Lakeside Park. A gorgeous and peaceful place to take in the shores of Lake Winnebago, highlighted by a 19th-century lighthouse you can actually climb. Back in town, the Thelma Sadoff Center for the Arts and the soon-to-be-opening food hall are offering a glimmer of a city that might be reimagining how to bring more people to the downtown area.
Nearby places we recommend:
- Wonder – a delightful community space for families to eat, play, and connect
- Cellar District – restaurant with good food, in a beautifully converted church building
Ghosts & Guests
The Famous Guestbook
A 1937 visit from Eleanor Roosevelt is documented. As mentioned above, John F. Kennedy visited while on his 1960 presidential campaign trail. Kennedy and Jackie stopped at their room on the seventh floor before the evening speech.
Other guests over the decades include Jack Dempsey, Roy Rogers, Paul Newman, Alice Cooper, Tom Cruise, and Chip Ganassi.
Rumored guests of the more notorious variety include John Dillinger, Al Capone, and Joe Bonanno.
Room 717 and Walter’s Ghost
Local legend says Schroeder was murdered in the hotel. A claim that has since been confirmed as false; he died of natural causes in Milwaukee.
The signature incident: a guest called the front desk reporting screams for help from Room 717, which had no booking. A maintenance man found the door shaking violently as if someone were kicking it from inside. His key didn’t work. Then everything stopped. The knob turned freely. The room was empty. Staff logged every flickering light and rattling door in a front-desk logbook.
In a 2005 episode of This American Life, reporter Starlee Kine stayed at the hotel and interviewed staff — including a front desk employee named Becky who said, “The computer, it beeps. It just beeps all the time and then I just tell it to shut up because I think it’s Walter.”
The Nickel Verdict
The Hotel Retlaw is the kind of hotel that makes you glad someone fought to save it. The lobby is genuinely stunning and the staff are friendly. Fond du Lac won’t blow you away on first impression, but the Retlaw is worth a visit. And that’s the whole point of staying here instead of a chain hotel off the highway.