Our Story

An Unlikely Couple… A Forgotten Building…

The Knox Hotel once served hundreds, even thousands of passengers from Princeton’s local train depot.

Then it sat empty for decades…

In April, 2021, Dane and Kelsey Stier purchased the historic building with a goal of restoring the upper floors as a hotel. With the support of local donors and investors, the couple began gutting the existing rooms and installing new utilities. By the following April, they re-opened several rooms, and started hosting guests once again.

As they continue to work through new phases of renovation, the restored Knox Hotel will eventually offer 13 guest rooms and a mid-sized ballroom.

History of the Knox Support the Renovation

Stier Family with three children at the Field Museum

Listen to the Story

Bright and Bubbly Podcast

Kelsey joined the Bright and Bubbly podcast to share the story of how the idea for the Knox Hotel came to be. Listen to the two-part interview below.

Part 1: Kelsey and the Dead Dream Part 2: Kelsey and the Future

Talking Princeton Podcast

We joined host Jim Gassen on the Talking Princeton podcast to discuss how this all started, what’s happening now, and what the future looks like for the Knox. Listen below!

Meet the Stiers

Dane is a native of Princeton. He graduated from Princeton High School in 2010, and then attended Northwestern University, where he received his Bachelor’s in Mathematics and Master’s in Computer Science. After college, he joined Teach for America as a high school math teacher on the south side of Chicago.

Kelsey grew up in the bustling Detroit suburb of Southfield, Michigan. She attended Palm Beach Atlantic University and earned her Bachelor’s in Biology. She also joined Teach for America as a high school science teacher in Chicago, and soon after met Dane.

Together, we continued teaching for two years in Chicago, before relocating to Peoria. We officially became “The Stiers” after getting married in 2018, and soon after bought a house in Princeton. In 2019, our family began to grow.

Currently, Kelsey is office manager at our church, and Dane works at OSF HealthCare managing the website.

Our Interests

First and foremost, we have a passion for God. Our family attends Christ Community Church in Princeton, and we have leaned heavily on God’s guidance with this project. He has shut many doors for us, but with the Knox Hotel, He continues to open doors and encourages us to move forward.

Secondly, we love “classics,” from songs and movies, to antique furniture and old-time traditions. Our go-to movies overlap in the “black and white” age with favorite actors like Jimmy Stewart and Judy Garland. We both have many antique furniture pieces (though different styles), and Dane regularly refinishes pieces from top to bottom. We have around 100 vinyl records that we often listen to in the evenings.

We also love history, especially the history of Princeton. It holds a special place for Dane, and Kelsey has continued to fall more and more in love with the town since first visiting in 2016. Dane has worked significantly with the Bureau County Historical Society over the past few years, learning more about the amazing history. We are also currently living in and restoring a historic home in Princeton.

Lastly, we love working with people. As teachers, it is/was all about the connections. Every person you meet and every conversation you have has something positive to offer.