The New Glarus Hotel is significant for its association with Swiss Heritage and as a hub of the community. The two-story building with Swiss Chalet-style elements is located in downtown New Glarus, Wisconsin. The hotel has played a major part in New Glarus history since its initial construction in 1853. However, its significance is most closely associated with the push for an immersive Swiss experience of downtown as part of the local push to promote heritage tourism within the village in the 1960s-70s. Community organizations and members, like Robert Schneider who owned the New Glarus Hotel between 1960 and 1975, advocated to turn New Glarus into a cultural tourism destination by establishing a plan to make New Glarus a center for Swiss heritage and culture, called Project Edelweiss. Robert “Robbie” Schneider owned and operated the New Glarus Hotel and was a prominent leader in the efforts to bring Swiss architectural elements and culture to New Glarus.

Robbie Schneider was one of the first community members to undertake the alterations to his property as part of the movement to bring heritage tourism in New Glarus. The New Glarus Hotel served Swiss food and provided entertainment in the form of Swiss folk musicians, while architectural elements, including stucco and wood clapboard siding, overhanging eaves, gabled roofs, and curved and jig sawn wood elements, were added to the building. The New Glarus Hotel, under Schneider’s ownership became a beacon for Swiss folk culture and a major gathering place for locals and tourists alike. Schneider served authentic Swiss meals and held nightly performances of Swiss folk music to immerse visitors in a ‘Swiss’ experience. The promotion of the village’s Swiss heritage is exemplified in the New Glarus Hotel.