Opinion: Development dreams: Bring boutique hotel downtown

A sign says the 31,000-square-foot, four-story space is undergoing historic redevelopment, and strides have been made to meet that description. It’s been thoroughly cleaned and is awaiting a visionary tenant.

While prospects mull it over, our editorial department has an idea, devised during a recent brainstorming session, which we love to do when time affords.

Tillman’s expertise is in bringing historic structures to today’s standards, looks and functions. He’s proven himself with the former Mansfield Opera House – now Tradewinds Furniture, Susan Sommer Luarca Art Gallery and Hickok’s Steakhouse & Brewery, and an 1860-built livery stable – now Agrario and Patton Alley Pub.

Let’s put a twist on that strategy. Many of downtown’s redeveloped buildings were hotels in their heydays. There’s Craig Wagoner’s Lofts at the Seville, named after the Seville Hotel that called it home, Jason Murray’s Palace Hotel Lofts, formerly the Palace and Baltimore hotels, and Dan Scott’s 400 Place, formerly the Marquette Hotel. Even Springfield Business Journal’s building around the corner from the former Mister Furniture was a functioning hotel.

Our idea is to go back in history with a historic structure and redevelop it as a hotel. Of course, it’d be a boutique hotel – no corporate logo slapped onto the downtown façade to save its integrity.

Here’s the best part of this fantasy: A rooftop restaurant overlooking the revitalized square. SBJ visionaries would do half of it open-air, half closed-in.

I’ve dined at Bandera, an indoor restaurant that overlooks the ultra-busy, famous Magnificent Mile, aka Michigan Avenue, in Chicago. And I’ve visited Chicago’s Rock Bottom Brewery with its rooftop tables. There’s just something about sitting out on a rooftop during a beautiful night.

I’ve stayed at boutique hotels in other cities. The Club Quarters in Philadelphia comes to mind. Club Quarters properties are private, full-service hotels designed for the business traveler, subsidized for family and friends’ use on weekends and holidays. It’s really a unique stay (www.clubquarters.com). I just stumbled upon the property on Hotwire while searching for a place to stay as we passed through Philadelphia. I can see the relevance for the business traveler.

Considering the way the Heer’s Tower lofts quickly sold out under developer Vaughn Prost’s now-shaky plan, let’s toss out the idea of selling these hotel/condo rooms and allow owners to rent them to passers-through while the owners are away.

Could the boutique hotel with a rooftop restaurant work on our square? Who knows?

Maybe it’s an unrealistic vision from a cost and revenue standpoint. Far less costly entrepreneurial propositions have died a downtown death primarily due to lack of foot traffic.

It would take a lot of other pieces to fall into place. But it’s enticing considering that there is not a hotel property in downtown proper. The vision of this unique property includes a pristine square with positive activity on all four sides. It also includes a living, breathing Heer’s Tower, the linchpin to true vibrancy on the square.

While Heer’s hangs in the balance, we’re left dreaming. Maybe it’s just a pipe dream, but it’s sure fun to dream – especially with someone else’s money.

Eric Olson is SBJ editor. He can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.