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Friday, Jun. 24, 2011
Friday, Jun. 24, 2011
Main Street hotel will be apartments
54 ‘resort-style’ units planned in old Rodeway, Governor’s House
BY JEFF WILKINSON
Main Street is about to get another boost.
The 101-room Rodeway Inn, formerly the Governor’s House Hotel, is set to be converted into 54 “resort-style” studio and one-bedroom apartments.
Downtown developer Ben Arnold said he has been struggling with the project for two years “due to market conditions and the lack of financing in the real estate arena.”
But finally, renovation is under way, with internal demolition started and exterior work beginning soon. The yellow paint, giant cornice and rounded stucco corners added to the building in the 1980s will be replaced with light gray — almost white — paint, square corners and a towering art deco entryway reminiscent of South Florida.
Completion is scheduled for February 2012.
Mayor Steve Benjamin said the project will help keep Main Street moving forward. “It’s momentum we can build upon,” he said.
The resort aspect of the project was inspired by a large outdoor pool that is hidden behind the Atlanta Bread company store on Main. Each apartment will have a balcony overlooking it.
“We’re the only property on Main with a pool,” Arnold said. “Most people don’t even know its there.”
Rents will run from $695 for a 300-square foot studio, to $875 for a 580-squared-foot one bedroom.
Arnold said his market is young professionals who work in the law firms, banks and government offices on Main and in the State House.
It’s the second plan to convert the building. A 2007 proposal by a Greenville developer to turn it into a condo hotel fell through.
The Palms on Main, as the building is to be called, would feature a concierge service, fitness center and secured underground parking.
The building at the corner of Main and Lady streets, Arnold said, “is where Main Street meets The Vista.”
Arnold plans to convert part of the first floor along Lady Street into an additional 2,700 square feet of retail space.
Arnold is one of the city’s pioneering downtown developers. Among his projects are the office and entertainment complex on Gervais Street that includes Jillian’s and Tsunami, as well as office tenants and South Carolina Bank & Trust.
He also developed some of the first condominium and modern mixed-use use developments downtown, such as Vista Lofts on Gervais Street and the 74-unit Renaissance Plaza condominium complex.
The development should help revitalize Main Street, which is being buoyed by the new Mast General Store and other projects.
Karen Brosius, executive director of the Columbia Museum of Art, said, “this new building will bring new residents and activity to Main Street, which is important.”
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