Trio of major projects under way downtown

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Local businessmen have forged ahead on three major projects downtown. Work is in progress at the Sterling Hotel on Park Central East and the Seville Hotel on East Walnut, and work will begin soon at the Heer's building on the square. |ret||ret||tab|

Both the Sterling and the Seville are listed on the National Historic Register and the demolition phase on the two structures is almost complete, according to their owners.|ret||ret||tab|

Meanwhile, Warren Davis Properties is obtaining permits and taking steps to acquire national historic status for the Heer's building to help fund a massive reconstruction, according to Ron Shepherd, property manager for the firm.|ret||ret||tab|

The Sterling Hotel was recently approved for placement on the National Register and makes available a 45 percent tax credit 20 percent federal and 25 percent state, according to owner and local architect Allen Casey.|ret||ret||tab|

Casey has a prospective tenant for the new penthouse he plans to add on the roof of the original structure. The architect is now working on plans to suit the occupant for the 2,500-square-foot apartment.|ret||ret||tab|

The remaining four upper floors will each contain four lofts that will lease for $700 to $850 per unit, Casey said.|ret||ret||tab|

Exterior windows will provide natural lighting for the outer units on each floor, and the interior units will also receive natural light via a light well part of the original structure that will be converted to an atrium.|ret||ret||tab|

The basement of the building will provide storage for tenants, and parking will be available in the lower level of the Bank of America parking garage, which is a locked facility.|ret||ret||tab|

The ground-floor lobby will be restored to look as much like the original as possible and will include a restaurant. Casey is negotiating the lease for the restaurant, which will provide banquet and catering services along with regular hours on site.|ret||ret||tab|

Casey expects to have the Sterling project completed by late fall of this year. Kenmar Construction Inc. is the general contractor on the project.|ret||ret||tab|

The Seville Hotel will feature 11 suites on each floor, except the second floor, where space is allotted for a conference room. Each guest room will include a parlor with convertible sofa, a small dining area and a kitchenette, said Tim Rosenbury, a principal with Butler, Rosenbury & Partners and co-owner of the property with Sam Freeman and Phil Burgess.|ret||ret||tab|

"We plan to market to business and corporate travel through the week and leisure on the weekends," Rosenbury said.|ret||ret||tab|

The four upper floors of the adjacent Ozark Camera building will be converted to condos, and covered garage space for each owner will be provided across the alley at the back of the property.|ret||ret||tab|

Space has been set aside on the ground floor of the Ozark Camera building for two small retail businesses, and the remainder of that floor will be converted into a ballroom for the hotel.|ret||ret||tab|

The hotel rooms will be tastefully furnished and decorated with original artwork and fresh flowers, Rosenbury said. "We're not trying to re-create a past that never existed, but we're not trying to force guests to live in a work of art, either."|ret||ret||tab|

The first order of business, once demolition is complete, is to spruce up the exterior and clean the brick. |ret||ret||tab|

The Seville qualifies for $1.8 million in tax credits because of its historic status, and the owners plan to attract corporate investors.|ret||ret||tab|

Built near the beginning of the 20th century, the Seville did not become a hotel until the 1920s. A light well was installed in the middle of the structure in the 1930s. The well, situated where the restaurant will be installed on the ground floor, will be refurbished as an atrium.|ret||ret||tab|

Gailey's Drugs, located on the east side of the Seville, will remain a corner cafe.|ret||ret||tab|

Rosenbury is providing the architectural drawings for the renovation, and Walton Construction is working on demolition.|ret||ret||tab|

Although the Heer's building is still for sale, current owner, Warren Davis Properties, is moving ahead with renovation plans. The outer facade and canopy will be removed to unveil the original structure and to comply with requirements for listing on the National Historic Registry, Ron Shepherd said.|ret||ret||tab|

The building will supply Class A office space, ground-floor and mezzanine space for retail businesses and a fine dining restaurant on the roof of the fourth floor add-on. The original seven-story building contains about 11,000 square feet per floor. In the 1950s, an addition was built to add another 18,000 square feet per floor at the first four levels.|ret||ret||tab|

Esterly, Schneider and Associates is the architect, and bids for the construction work will be let soon, Shepherd said.|ret||ret||tab|

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