ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Demolition crews look to be almost done razing a row of empty buildings to make way for a new boutique hotel in Center City Allentown that will pair with a proposed new entertainment venue nearby.
Only a part of the original buildings’ structural beams remained intact Monday, with several construction vehicles and debris on the property.
- Demolition is underway in the 900 block of Hamilton Street as part of a project to build a new boutique hotel
- City Center's plans show a five-story, 140-room hotel
- Demolition appears to be almost complete, with construction to start later this summer
It appears the project remains on track with the timeline City Center Investment Corp. executives laid out earlier this year.
Robert DiLorenzo, City Center's director of planning and construction, told Allentown officials in March that demolition likely would be done by the end of June.
The construction phase of the project is due to start by August, DiLorenzo said.
Redefining visitors' view of the city
City Center executives presented plans for the boutique hotel in March as they sought demolition and construction permits.
“For us, the hotel is important for people visiting downtown to get an initial perception as they come into town. We believe the project will enhance that experience as they’re first arriving.”Robert DiLorenzo, director of planning and construction for City Center
Those plans show a five-story hotel with 140 rooms. The 55,000-square-foot facility is set to feature a ground-floor bar and restaurant, with guest rooms on the top four floors.
The new hotel could help redefine the way some visitors view the city, DiLorenzo said.
“For us, the hotel is important for people visiting downtown to get an initial perception as they come into town,” DiLorenzo said in March. “We believe the project will enhance that experience as they’re first arriving.”
City Center said it will maintain its ownership of the hotel, but an outside company will manage its operations. The company has not yet announced that operator.
Guests will be directed to park at the Maple Street Garage, which is about a block from the hotel.
New jobs, more taxes
The new boutique hotel will replace several buildings that stood vacant for years.
The property at the northeast corner of Hamilton and 9th streets previously featured about half a dozen storefronts, many of which have been empty for large parts of the past two decades.
The boutique hotel project hit a snag in the city’s approval process when the Allentown Historical Architectural Review Board voiced concerns over the hotel’s design and its fit with other buildings on the street.
The vacant buildings have no employees and generate just over $32,000 in annual property taxes. The new hotel would generate almost six times that amount in taxes.Robert DiLorenzo, City Center Investment Corp.'s director of planning and construction,
HARB members eventually ruled the buildings were not architecturally significant, allowing the project to move forward.
Andrew Miller — executive vice president at North Star Construction Management, which will oversee the hotel’s construction — told zoning officials that the buildings were wet, moldy and rusty.
An inspection also revealed cracks in concrete, rotting wood and pooling water throughout the buildings, Miller said, adding they could “definitely not” be used.
The vacant buildings have no employees and generate just over $32,000 in annual property taxes, DiLorenzo told officials in March. The new hotel would generate almost six times that amount in taxes, he said.
The $17.8 million project to knock down several structures and build the new hotel will create about 75 jobs, while the hotel will employ more than 30 people full-time, he said.
The hotel is scheduled to be completed next year.
New music venue in production
The new boutique hotel is on a timeline very similar to City Center’s project just down the block.
City Center is working to build a new entertainment venue — called the Archer Music Hall — at 939 Hamilton St., where the Allentown Vision Center and Casa Del Mofongo stood until last year.
The 31,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art venue is expected to accommodate up to 1,800 people.
It’s designed to attract events and artists that can’t sell out the PPL Center, which has a capacity of about 10,000 people.
The venue also is set to feature a small second-floor stage for more intimate performances.
City Center hopes The Archer will serve as something of a replacement for the former Crocodile Rock Cafe, which closed in 2015.
DiLorenzo said he expects the new venue “is going to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors annually through the front doors."
Archer Music Hall is scheduled to open next summer, according to City Center’s plans.
