Warner Hotel

But when the city’s mining operations shut down in the mid-1970s, the hotel — named for original owner Robert Warner, who built it in 1915 — was forced to do the same. It sat vacant on Subway Street for nearly half a century, and when it caught Van Norman’s eye during a visit around 2014, he assumed it had been a jail, given the bars on the windows. “It’s kind of hidden between buildings,” he says, “but I always wanted it.”

In 2020, Van Norman bought the Warner and, with the help of several family members, began a more than four-year overhaul that preserved elements of its history while giving today’s guests a comfortable place to stay. The work included all-new plumbing, air conditioning and electrical, along with structural engineering to ensure the safety of the old building.

Eleven rooms now stand in place of the initial 25. Two of the cozy original rooms remain, and they’re joined by nine suites that offer varying amounts of additional space. And the boardinghouse days of sharing a few toilets are long gone: Each room now has its own private bathroom, whether attached or just down the hall.

Those hallways have retained their historical feel, and the renovation team also repainted the room doors and got their hardware working again. “For the front entrance, we had only half of a double-sided door, so we were able to recreate the other half and make it look the same,” Van Norman says. And the original dining room, kitchen and caretaker’s room have been refigured as Earl’s Cafe, an inviting coffee shop named for Van Norman’s grandfather.

Since it opened in June 2024, the Warner has attracted people from Arizona and beyond, including staycationers from nearby Sierra Vista and tourists from Europe. It’s particularly popular during events in town, including the Bisbee 1000, the stair-climbing race whose route runs right past the hotel. Regardless of where they come from or why, Van Norman hopes visitors get a feel for what Bisbee is now — and what it used to be.

“This town is filled with Arizona history,” he says. “Coming here is about stepping back in time and realizing there was a different way, at one time, that people were living in Arizona.”