The Kleemann House under new ownership

If you drove down Mount Rushmore Road the evening of June 11, you may have noticed bows, balloons and bubbles decorating the historic Kleemann House. This marked the grand opening of the establishment under new ownership. 
The building and surrounding property were purchased by Deb Manning, who moved to the area in April of 2021 to run and restore Eagle’s Landing Lodge, which is located west of Custer. 
Originally, Manning’s husband, Dan Kropp, started looking for a property in Custer for his family. It was between what is now Eagle’s Landing Lodge and an old church in town. Unfortunately, after a bad horse accident, Dan passed away shortly after the paperwork was signed. 
“After the memorial, me and my daughters, I said, ‘Let’s go find out what Daddy bought.’ I’d never been to South Dakota. I hadn’t seen it. We came around that corner on the highway, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, girls, look at this place.’ And it was a money pit,” said Manning. 
Converting the property into an Airbnb came with some unexpected challenges and a lot of hard work, but Manning said, “It was a blessing, because there were a lot of angels coming through, and it kind of helped us through our mourning stage.”
They spent the winter in Arizona, and the second year they gutted the property and created the lodge as it is today. 
“We kind of honored Dan a little bit. He was painting this big eagle that he wanted to put on the front of the lawn, so we called it Eagle’s Landing in his honor,” said Manning. 
Manning’s daughter, Landyn Kropp, took over the marketing and sales for the business, Brynn Steed is the property manager and Jay Cooper is the maintenance manager.
A few years ago, Brian Leger joined the team. Leger originally came to South Dakota for a job and stayed at Eagle’s Landing Lodge.
“We became like family. I started cooking in the lodge. It was just a whole different vibe,” said Leger. “We’ve been best friends ever since.”
Leger owns a restaurant in Louisiana that is very successful and serves many of the same dishes served out of the Only Cajun food truck currently located at Eagle’s Landing Lodge. He brings help from Louisiana to Custer each summer to run the food truck. Manning also had a platform built in front of the lodge to create a bar and restaurant for Only Cajun. 
“We’re collaborating to make this an amazing place,” said Manning. “Every time, he brings up a new face. They have stories and talk about alligator hunts, and so it’s a culture that they bring up. It’s not just a food.”
Before taking on Eagle’s Landing Lodge, Manning had never worked in the hospitality or business industry. However, she embraced the challenge and feels like the community embraced her in return. 
A few weeks ago, Manning discovered that the Kleemann House was for sale.
“It was in my head, because the year before, a lot of times people would have their weddings here and then stay at our lodge. So then I contacted a real estate agent here that I know, and I said, ‘Let me in that place.’ It took us three weeks to get the deal done,” said Manning. “The only thing that held us up was the inspector, and we got it done.”
The sale was official May 27, and the property came fully-furnished. 
Manning said she was attracted to the business because of the unique pairing of hosting weddings at the Kleemann House and guests at Eagle’s Landing Lodge. Another factor was the priceless and historic nature of the building. 
The Kleemann House originally opened Aug. 15, 1883, as a tourist hotel in Custer City. As the third brick building in Custer, it was known as a luxurious and grand retreat. The hotel featured a parlor, office, dining room, bar, kitchen, several bedrooms, restrooms as well as a backyard and balcony. 
According to the historic information gathered on the establishment’s website, the Kleemann House has undergone numerous changes in ownership and names over the years. Its condition deteriorated over time until the City of Custer condemned the building in 1991. 
“In 2010, Christine and Clifford Mumm purchased the building and undertook an arduous, painstaking and meticulous historical restoration of the building,” according to theklee
mannhouse.com. It was reopened in 2012 as a boutique hotel once more, having been preserved with era-specific features. 
Before purchasing it, Manning said the property was used as a family vacation home, with weddings and guest parties renting the establishment intermittently. 
“They didn’t really share it too much with the community, whereas I want to do the opposite. I want the doors open,” said Manning. “We want to give back to the community.”
This concept began with an open house June 11 for the grand opening of the establishment. Manning said the place was packed, Cajun food was abundant and L. Kropp and Steed ran the bar. 
“The open house really showed us the potential of this place because there were so many people walking through the door,” said Manning. 
Manning said the Kleemann House came with several existing reservations, which she plans to honor. Currently, there are five rooms, with a handicap room on the main floor. All the rooms have restrooms and showers. Along with the bedrooms, there is a living room, dining room, bar, kitchen, fireplace, balcony, backyard and more. There is also a washer and dryer in the kitchen. 
The space is typically used for weddings, large parties or family reunions. Reservations will continue while they make plans for the future. 
“A lot of people said to me that they want to see it come back to the community, this building, because it is so precious, and that’s exactly what I want to do,” said Manning. “I just think that people are going to feel that. They’re going to just feel that there’s some history here. It’s not a typical brick-and-mortar house. It’s beautiful.”
Some of the ideas for the future include upgrading to a commercial kitchen or setting up a food truck in the backyard so they could continue serving Cajun food. Manning envisions having music in the backyard and opening up the bar for visitors, and she is already in the process of getting a beer and wine license. Another idea is to convert the basement into a small, cozy bar with a speakeasy feel. 
Manning said they are still discussing whether to rent rooms individually or rent the space as a whole for weddings or larger parties in the future. As another alternative, the establishment could be closed for private rentals and then reopened as a community space in between. At this time, all of their ideas are still in the development phase, and nothing is too concrete. 
However, they are hoping to keep the Kleemann House open year-round. 
“We want to make memories here for people. We’re going to be a destination place,” said Manning. “It’s going to be a meeting place.”
“There is really no better service than what we provide, and I don’t think there’s a way to beat that,” said L. Kropp. “We are local, and we’re here to make this place memorable.”
Reservation and historical information can be found at theklee
mannhouse.com, and regular updates will be posted on Facebook.