Zuber's Restaurant makes a return to its hotel past.

    Homestead — Only one thing is associated with this spot in the memories of
most Eastern Iowans — Zuber's Dugout Restaurant , a local family dining
landmark opened more than 56 years ago by the late major league baseball
pitcher, Bill Zuber.
    So, when new owners David and Yana Cutler decided to turn back the 
clock to its earlier use as a hotel, it caused a little stir.
    The property was Homestead's only hotel before it was acquired in 1949
by Zuber, a native of the Amanas whose pitching arm took him all the way from
the Cedar Rapids Bunnies to a 15-year career in the majors.
    Effective May 8, 2006 the closed restaurant took on a new life as
Zuber's Homestead Hotel, a 15– room European-style inn that ties together
the different eras of the 1890's building in a ”prairie” theme.
    David Cutler, who previously renovated the Cornerstone Bed and Breakfast
in West Amana, oversaw the renovation project, and provided much of the labor.
“All the support from the community has simply been amazing,” David commented.
“So many people commented that they worked here from the age of 14 until they
graduated, or had their graduation dinner here. It's important to these people that
the building is being taken care of.”
    David reconfigured the room and suite arrangements until he found a way
to make them work around the original structure and left hand-hewn timbers of
the building frame exposed in some places to accent the décor. Even the walls
that remained from the original hotel room days could rarely be kept. The original
hotel rooms were small and had no bathrooms.
    Finding time to do all the renovations was difficult, however. Yana and David
were also busy overseeing their Ronneburg Restaurant during the renovations,
and Yana was also opening her new Yana's Boutique, a sister boutique to her
exsisting shop—- The Clothes Encounter.