The Eureka Springs community is mourning the loss of hotel owner, historic preservationist, and philanthropist Elise Roenigk, owner of the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa and the 1905 Basin Park Hotel, who died peacefully on July 19, 2026, at the age of 86.
Elise was born June 4, 1940, in Monroe, Wisconsin, to Fred Feutz and Doris Roberts Feutz and graduated from Monroe High School in 1958. She went on to attend Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, graduating in 1964, where she met her future husband, Martin “Marty” Roenigk. The couple married in 1965 and built their life together first in Cleveland, Ohio, and later in East Hampton, Connecticut.
Elise and Marty first discovered Eureka Springs in the mid‑1990s while visiting nearby Fayetteville from their home in East Hampton. Drawn to the town’s historic architecture and distinctive character, they soon decided this would be the place where they would invest their time, resources, and future.
In 1997, the Roenigks purchased the Basin Park Hotel. Not long after, when the Crescent Hotel came up for sale, they chose to acquire it as well and to commit fully to restoring both landmark properties. They moved to Eureka Springs and ultimately made their home on the top floor of the Crescent.
Over the next decades, Elise and Marty invested heavily in the restoration and preservation of the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels, renewing their historic prominence and strengthening Eureka Springs’ reputation as a destination for history and hospitality. They approached the properties as long-term stewards, committed to preserving their character, honoring their stories, and ensuring that future generations could experience these landmark hotels as active parts of the community and local economy.
Their work supported the continued growth of tourism in Eureka Springs through expanded programming, special events, and an emphasis on the town’s unique heritage, including the Crescent’s now‑well‑known haunted history and ghost tours. After Marty’s death in an automobile accident in 2009, he was widely remembered as a visionary preservationist and philanthropist, and Elise continued their shared work with quiet determination in the years that followed.
Elise’s leadership in preservation and hospitality was recognized nationally. In 2022, Historic Hotels of America presented her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her decades of work in protecting, restoring, and sustaining the Crescent Hotel and Basin Park Hotel and her broader contributions to historic hospitality. Antioch College also remained important to her throughout her life; a member of the Class of 1964, she later served on its Board of Trustees and, in 2023, was honored with the Horace Mann Award and, in 2025, the President’s Medallion for her longstanding commitment to the institution.
Her service and sense of responsibility extended well beyond the hotels. Before moving to Arkansas, Elise served as an EMT for 35 years in East Hampton, Connecticut. Throughout her life, she gave her time, energy, and support to causes she cared deeply about, particularly education, the arts, historic preservation, and mechanical music. Among the organizations that were important to her were the Musical Box Society, the Eureka Springs School of the Arts, the Writers’ Colony at Dairy Hollow, Main Stage, and the Museum of Eureka Springs Art.
In Eureka Springs, Elise quietly supported a range of local organizations and initiatives, reflecting a deep belief that the town’s strength rested in its people, its arts, and its sense of place. Within the hotels, she was known as a steady, familiar presence. She walked the halls, visited with guests, and took time to know the people who worked for her. To Elise, staff members were not merely employees but part of an extended family. She took great pride in their work, celebrated their successes, and stood by them through challenges, and that affection was mutual among the teams at the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels.
Elise also planned carefully for the long‑term stewardship of the properties she loved. Ownership of the Crescent and Basin Park Hotels will transition to a trust she established, with day‑to‑day operations continuing under her direction and values. Longtime general manager Jack Moyer will continue to lead the hotels alongside the existing management team, with the same commitment to employees, guests, and the Eureka Springs community that guided Elise’s work for nearly three decades.
Elise was preceded in death by her husband, Marty Roenigk, and her sister, Roberta Brockoff. She is survived by her brother, Rick Feutz of Eureka Springs, Arkansas, and her sister, Linda Feutz Smith of São Paulo, Brazil, as well as many people who loved her and whose lives were touched by her kindness, generosity, and care. She leaves behind a legacy written into the skyline of Eureka Springs, in the stories told by guests who have stayed at her hotels, and in the lives of the people and organizations she supported.
She will be cremated. Information regarding arrangements and a community memorial in Eureka Springs will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family encourages those wishing to honor Elise to support a favorite local charity, continuing the work she championed throughout her life.