Back in the 1930s, ranchers gathered in the lobby of the Hotel El Capitan, auctioning cattle, making land deals and sipping hot brew from the in-house coffee shop. Sometimes, they stepped into the basement to toss back a drink in the Gopher Hole bar. The setting was elegant, a Pueblo Revival-style concrete structure designed by famed El Paso architect Henry C. Trost, who also built the Gage Hotel in Marathon, Hotel Paisano in Marfa and even an addition to Austin's Driskill Hotel. Besides ranchers, it drew cross-country travelers and tourists exploring the nearby Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns. By the 1970s, though, the hotel was converted into a bank, and customers dropped in to manage money rather than catch up on their sleep. Until now. The hotel reopened in September, following a 14-month renovation spearheaded by Joe and Lanna Duncan, who also own the Hotel Limpia in Fort Davis and the Hotel Paisano, headquarters when the James Dean-flick 'Giant' was filmed in Marfa in 1955. 'We like historic hotels, and we like to save them,' Joe Duncan says. 'We like to find these old crumbly buildings that have character and resuscitate them.' The Duncans were looking for a property in Van Horn. Among the possibilities were the old Holiday Inn or the old Clark Hotel. While poking around the Clark, Joe Duncan looked out a window and spotted the El Capitan, then operating as a bank. The bank owners at first weren't interested in selling but a month later changed their minds. They were only utilizing a fraction of the building's 26,000 square feet, after all. The rest was deteriorating. Duncan sunk about $2 million into the renovation. The original hotel's bathrooms had been removed when it was converted into a bank and office building. Crews went back to the original floor plan, which is identical to the Paisano's floor plan, replumbing, rewiring and building 54 new bathrooms. They installed an elevator. In the process, they also found a maze of sealed-off secret passageways and tunnels and a basement prison cell once used by the U.S. Border Patrol. Located just two blocks north of Interstate 10, where streams of 18-wheelers buzz past night and day, the historic Van Horn hotel offers a quiet respite in a dusty, mostly forgotten town. Officials in this city of about 2,500 hope the renovation sparks a revitalization that spreads beyond the hotel's walls. During a recent visit, the place bustled with cyclists heading out to pedal 55 miles north on Texas 54, toward Guadalupe Mountains National Park, on a ride fondly dubbed 'El Cap to El Cap.' The hotel, named for the imposing peak at the park, looks mostly the same as it did when it opened with 65 rooms in 1930. Ornate tan, terra cotta and blue tile lines the lobby, a fountain burbles in the patio out front and an old sign salvaged from the coffee shop hangs across from a cozy fireplace. So far, 38 rooms and suites with private baths are available. Some have private porches. A restaurant will open in April, followed by more rooms. General Manager Donna Adams hopes to appeal to guests looking for a resting point while driving between the Big Bend area to the south and Guadalupe Mountains and Carlsbad Caverns to the north. She's also targeting cyclists, who can stash their bicycles in the bank's old vaults overnight and experience gorgeous riding right out the front door. 'We're trying to catch people who appreciate the historic aspect of it all,' Duncan says. 'A chain is a chain is a chain. We want people to come in, see what a great building it is, get a drink at the bar and stay for dinner.' If you go ... Hotel El Capitan is two blocks north of Interstate 10 at 100 E. Broadway in Van Horn. Rooms range from $69 to $149, plus tax, and include continental breakfast. Pets are allowed for an additional $20 per pet per night. For more information or reservations, call 1-877-283-1220, go to hotelelcapitan.net or e-mail frontdesk.elcapitan@yahoo.com. Pamela LeBlanc writes for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: pleblanc@statesman.com. 