Work resumes on new boutique hotel in Downtown
1/31/2020, 6 a.m.
Work to create a boutique hotel in a former eight-story office building at 501 E. Franklin St. has resumed.
City records show permits have been issued to allow construction to start, and workers on the scene this week said they were there to begin the conversion of the former Advantech building that has been vacant since 2016 after serving as a city-sponsored incubator for fledgling businesses.
Shamin Hotels, which purchased the building for $2.5 million from the city’s Economic Development Authority in October 2016, has not responded to requests for comment.
Following the purchase, the area’s largest hotel owner announced plans to turn the building into a 104-room Moxy Hotel by Marriott.
However, after clearing and gutting the building in 2018, Shamin shut down the project. The Free Press reported last May that city officials said the project was halted because Shamin failed to secure approval of its development plan.
The hotel company now has cleared that hurdle, according to the permits.
The company, which owns 59 hotels in six states, is moving its headquarters from the Chester area to Downtown. On Dec. 30, Shamin Hotels purchased the Richmond Times-Dispatch building at 300 E. Franklin St. as its new headquarters and expects to move in later this year. The daily newspaper will occupy the building’s fourth floor.
