JACKSON HOLE, WYO – In many ways the epic tale brewing at the ‘Genevieve Block’ lacks only the fairytale ending to become a modern-day Brothers Grimm masterpiece. The big finish being a successful community-driven effort to snatch a prime piece of downtown real estate from the jaws of an evil empire bent on building a sky-blotting three-story hotel where eggs Benedict and mouthwatering pastries once stood.
The story has all the elements—a magical setting (the heart Jackson Hole), a dark villain (mysterious Chinese investors, fat cat hoteliers, or the much-maligned Max Chapman Jr.), and a potential hero (JH Land Trust with the financial backing of unnamed do-gooders (Café G LLC).
The story is already steeped in lore. Café Genevieve is housed in one of the town’s oldest structures—a log cabin built by one of the valley’s founding families, the Van Vlecks. Other historical buildings dot the parcels comprising the block currently on the market; one home to a beloved juice bar and the other to Teton County’s fastest-growing café consortium Persephone (that also owns Picnic, is expanding to the West Bank, and moving into the old Sweetwater Restaurant location).
Turnout was strong for the Save Genevieve campaign last Friday. A neighborhood meeting and block party on April 26 drew hundreds of people huddled under a tent to hear George Putnam of Cirque Consulting, Robbin Levy Mommsen representing Café G, LLC, and President of the Jackson Hole Land Trust Laurie Andrews discuss the collaborative solution for saving the historic buildings, green space, and overall community character of the beloved Genevieve Block.
Invested businesses Café Genevieve, Persephone Bakery, and the Healthy Being Café & Juicery opened their doors for the throng of community members who came out to celebrate the kickoff of the project, generously contributing their spaces, food, and drinks for attendees to enjoy. Community members were encouraged to ask questions, get to know project partners and businesses, and show their support in the form of monetary donations that would be going towards a $100,000 match announced earlier in the day.
The community more than rose to the challenge with 335 donors contributing just over $240,000 to the Save Genevieve campaign on Friday alone.
“We knew that this project was important to the community based on the grassroots efforts earlier in the year to stall the development of the block into a hotel,” Andrews said. “Tonight is more than we expected, though. The support that we have seen and heard has been so inspiring and incredibly rewarding after all of the work that the project team has put in thus far. We have a long road ahead of us, but we are encouraged by the strong project backing tonight and continue to be energized by the community’s gratitude and optimism.”
Included in Friday’s fundraising total was an additional generous anonymous $100,000 pledge, as well as a commitment by the Community Foundation of Jackson Hole (CFJH) for $100,000.
Community Foundation president Katharine Conover commented, “The Community Foundation of Jackson Hole is inspired by this community-based project that brings hope for a solution that preserves an important part of our town’s history as well as a cherished outdoor gathering space. We are delighted to have the opportunity to be a partner and supporter of this project, and we are incredibly impressed by the widespread passionate support shown by the community to save the block.”
Early iterations of the plan call for a section in the northwest portion of the parcels to be dedicated to a three-story, short-term rental, private development of some kind. This would be the moneymaker that allows the preservation and easements to take place.
Green space would be preserved primarily where it now exists and a potential for live-work space for local nonprofits (Children’s Museum and Historical Society and Museum were approached as they are both losing their leases soon) might be incorporated in the southeast corner of the block.
With the success of the donation challenge on Friday, coupled with several other lead gifts, the Jackson Hole Land Trust is fast approaching raising the first million dollars of the Save Genevieve campaign. With a price tag of between $7 and $8 million on the purchase of the historic and greenspace easements on the block, there is still a significant amount of fundraising to do before the August 4 deadline.
The Save Genevieve project partners promise an exciting summer planned for the block so stay tuned for more on this developing story.
