CleverRoot

f a l l 2 0 1 8 | 6 9 Living near e Willamee Valley, I find myself visiting Oregon wine country on a regular basis. Because I'm there so often, it's easy to grow accus- tomed to the beauty of the region. Hemmed in by gently rolling hills of shrubby evergreen and stately spreading oak, a string of small communities ribbons through the valley, tethering together sub-appellations, wineries, and Yamhill County's rich agricultural history. Crops like wal- nuts, hazelnuts, pears, cherries, and prunes drove the local economy long before grape vines colonized these graceful slopes. Situated in the heart of the valley roughly at the midpoint between Portland and Salem, McMinnville radiates storybook charm. Stroll up to the Atticus Hotel with the clear eyes of a tourist and you might not notice it's a new building—instead, your eyes will likely linger over the handsome row of Royal Dutch Gazelle bicycles parked out front, each crowned with a hand-stenciled wooden basket. The attention to detail lavished on the bikes hints at the level of intentional design dedicated to every element of the hotel, which was recently named "Best Wine Country Hotel in the Nation" by USA To- day's 10 Best Readers' Choice Awards. The brainchild of Erin Stephen- son and Brian Shea, the Atticus spawned from the pair's realization that the region's booming wine and culinary industries lacked enough lodging to support the number of tourists flocking to the Willamette Valley each year. Seven years before the Atticus opened, this need prompted Stephenson to convert what was then known as the Odd Fellows Lodge into luxury units called the 3rd Street Flats, which steadily remained fully booked. Because Stephenson was then serving as the board chair of tourism agency Visit McMinnville, her "vision for creating a boutique hotel made perfect sense," according to Atticus General Manager and partner Ben Perle. "It's an incredible town with lots of authenticity," he says. "What we've tried to build is something that feels like it's always been here." It's hard to believe at first glance that the space the hotel now occupies was once a vacant parking lot, as the building feels as if it's part of the his- toric downtown. "Our architect made something that felt like Oregon, and we're very proud of that," Perle says. "As with most of our team of artisans and makers, our architect Nathan Cooprider grew up in McMinnville." Perle says interior designer Chris- tina Tello similarly set out to "create a space that felt authentically Oregon," resulting in an aesthetic that feels like a living history museum and something unexpectedly modern all at once. In the lobby, large, vivid oil paintings compliment the live staghorn ferns, chic velvet lounge chairs, and dramatic welcome desk that doubles as an espresso bar. Perle says all of the art was commissioned or purchased from local galleries, including the piece behind the welcome bar. Created by Costa Rican artist and transplant Carmen Borrasé, the photorealistic vignette masterfully weaves together a tapestry of emblematic McMinnville imag- es: a model of the Spruce Goose aircraft, turkey feathers, thistles, sheep and rabbit figurines, and local chef Nick Peirano's beloved minestrone bowl. "We tried to pack in a lot of history," Perle adds. In all 36 rooms at the Atticus, the wallpaper and light fixtures were matched differently so that every space is unique (the overarching shade of blue found throughout the hotel, dubbed Hale Navy, is made by Benjamin Moore). Each room also contains five books personally curated by someone in the community. "We asked them what a perfect day in McMinnville would feel like and to reflect that in their book selec- tions," Perle says. Guests can lounge on the custom beds and chairs— made in nearby Newberg—in their rooms while sampling locally grown walnuts and hazelnuts from Marvin Ber- nard, one of the last walnut producers in the valley. "He shows up in dirty overalls and can tell you exactly why Oregon walnuts are better than California walnuts," Perle says. "We love that we source them from 3 miles away." It seems the timing of the Atticus' grand opening is fortuitous given the steady growth of the region's wine industry. "We finally see the infrastructure," Perle says. "Hospitality is coming online in a big way and McMin- nville has a vibrant food scene. We have a James Beard Award–winning restaurant, Thistle, within a stone's throw of the hotel, and there are more than 250 winer- ies within a 20-minute radius of the town. People love that they can go from one place to another." ■cr Each room at the Atticus contains five books personally curated by someone in the local community. The lobby's velvet lounge chairs, vivid oil paintings, and espresso bar greet guests as they enter the hotel.

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