A nearly 100-year-old hotel in San Benito is getting a second life.

The San Benito Housing Authority will begin work this month to restore the Stonewall Jackson Hotel, which has sat empty for years.

The authority plans to add shops to the first floor and affordable housing to the second and third floors.

"There's quite a bit of extensive work that needs to be done," San Benito Housing Authority Executive Director Maricela Aguilar said.

The project will cost about $22 million and take around three years to complete. The authority plans to use local, state and federal tax credits to pay for it.

Aguilar sees the building as a key part of revitalizing downtown San Benito. She said the goal is to respect the history of the building.

"It was quite an affluent hotel when it was opened," Aguilar said.

A historical marker was unveiled at the hotel in October 2025.

Some San Benito residents say they've watched the building sit boarded up for years and are glad to see it finally get attention.

The hotel is named after Confederate Gen. Thomas Stonewall Jackson. Housing authority officials said there are no plans to rename the building and that the general's background does not represent the city of San Benito.

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