The Keady Family - Our Story

First off - hiya! :)

You may be asking yourself ‘who are these people and why did they renovate an old building in the middle of nowhere?!’

Great question!

Forrest & Jen made the decision to move their family of 5 to Burns, Oregon full time in the fall of 2013. Creativity and details are one of the things that make Forrest tick … and he found that Burns had an inventory of old buildings that needed some TLC! He really discovered his passion and his niche in bringing these old buildings back to life. They created a home in one of these buildings and an Eyecare office for Jen back in her hometown. Jen was able to see patients on a regular schedule and move into an incredible new space to do it! The Keady boys (Jake, Travis, & Will) were an integral part of the work crew and they learned many life lessons along the way. (Much to their chagrin along the way! ha!)

The Keadys purchased the Central Hotel in 2016 …. after it had been sitting empty and idle for over 20 years. Jen grew up in Burns and Forrest grew up in Hillsboro, Oregon. When you meet Forrest, you will find that he is one of the most ambitious & creative people you will ever meet … and his intense fascination of the prohibition-era made the Central Hotel come to life. It was this ambition and creativity that had the Keady family moving to Burns with the plan to purchase and renovate the old Masonic Lodge first. They completed that project in 2015. After putting that space on AirBnb for a few months they recognized a huge opportunity to re-create this old hotel and continue to help re-energize and re-invigorate the main street corridor for Burns, Oregon.

How is this relevant to YOU - our prospective guests?

Let me tell you …! The Central Hotel is really an extension of our home and we want you to have an “experience”. We want you to hear stories, see pictures, leave the CH feeling like you are part of the family, part of something ‘bigger’. We would love to give you a tour of the Boiler Room. We would love to tell you what we found and how the demolition went. We want you to come back year after year to watch what else comes about.

This is not where it ends, however. More renovations are happening here in Burns. We purchased a NEW project on our main street - just a block away! We’ve been peeling away the layers at the Palace - we’ll keep you updated as soon as we’re ready to tell you what’s going on :) What’s REALLY exciting is that even more properties along the main street corridor are being purchased and loved back to life.

‘KEADY FAMILY UPDATE’ … 2024!!!. Time continues to FLY BY … wow. The Keady boys have definitely gotten older, wiser, (& better?! ha!) Jake is now 24 and lives in Augusta GA - great job there - and doing amazing things. Travis is 21 and lives in Phoenix, AZ. He graduated from Grand Canyon University and secured a great job. He continues to work as a high school & college football referee as well. Will is 20 and is in Phoenix attending GCU as well. He is slated to graduate with a 4 year degree in 2 years!! Wohoooo!

As for Forrest and me (Jen) … we’re always PLENTY busy … but loving living our best life - taking care of the CH - meeting awesome people on our patio … traveling when we can to see our boys and explore the world. The Palace project is officially DONE so that is one more thing off our plate. Super excited to have some new amazing businesses in the Palace - go visit them!!!

Thanks for being part of it all :) - xoxoxo

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Check out our other projects!