Parking Will Be At 730 Chestnut In Building Now Owned By City
posted July 26, 2008
) Photo by Wesley Schultz Plans are to convert the historic Maclellan Building at 721 Broad St. to a boutique hotel. |
The Indigo hotel group will use a nearby six-story office building owned by the city at 730 Chestnut St. for parking, Paul Page, director of General Services, said.
The 12-story Maclellan Building, which was built in 1924 as the headquarters for the Provident insurance firm, is now owned by local businessman Henry Luken.
Mr. Page said, "This is a positive all the way around for the city. It will put 730 Chestnut back on the tax rolls and all the improvements at the Maclellan Building will increase that property value."
The city obtained 730 Chestnut in 2005 in a swap with BlueCross for the property where an old fire hall stood as well as an additional six acres on Cameron Hill. BlueCross workers are still in the building, but are due to vacate the property. The building is directly across from the Mountain City Club.
Mr. Page said the firm will gut the interior of the building and construct a parking garage inside. Apparently, the parking will be available for hotel guests and the public.
He said the firm considered putting in a lift system, but will likely have ramps that cars drive up instead.
Mr. Page said the firm will make an initial payment of $260,000 and then pay the remainder over a 10-year period. The price was in excess of $2 million.
Mayor Ron Littlefield said the project is just one that developers are eyeing downtown.
He noted that the Maclellan Building is in one of the city's most historic blocks and is adjacent to the city-owned Tivoli Theatre.
Indigo bills itself as being different from other hotels as "an oasis where you can escape the hectic pace of travel and think more clearly, work more productively, rest more refreshingly. An environment that doesn’t just shelter you, but inspires and re-energizes you. That’s the idea behind Hotel Indigo. It’s about peace. A hotel whose unique design brings together math, art and nature in perfect symmetry, to give you a perfect sense of balance and well-being."
Indigo, which is part of the InterContinental Hotels Group, opened its first "hip, cool, lifestyle" unit in Midtown Atlanta in 2004.
Provident in 1924 moved its headquarters from the James Building to the building designed by R.H. Hunt. The first three stories of the building are in the Greek Ionic style, and the nine-story tower is capped with a sloping mansard roof finished in green tile.
The brick building at 730 Chestnut is a former furniture building that BlueCross acquired out of bankruptcy.
 Building at 730 Chestnut will become parking garage |
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