A 155-room Autograph Collection hotel is set to open in the LeVeque Tower in Columbus, Ohio. The project is a joint venture with developers Robert Meyers and Don Casto of Tower Ten LLC, which purchased the building in 2011.
“The Columbus Autograph Collection is a very exciting addition to our ever-growing hotel management portfolio,” says First Hospitality Group president and COO Robert Habeeb. “Not only is Columbus a great travel market, but this unique project affords us the opportunity to make an impact on the community by applying our adaptive reuse expertise to create a thriving future for this treasured piece of city history.”
Local architectural firm Schooley Caldwell has been working on a restoration project at LeVeque for the past two years. Restorations include an exterior update to terracotta surfaces and an interior renovation to the lobby, mezzanine floors and bar, restaurant, and entertainment spaces. The owners envisioned the building as a mixed-use property.
A more formalized announcement on the new partnership is expected soon, which will coincide with the completion of sidewalk and streetscape improvements on Broad and Front Streets at the base of the building.
The new hotel is expected to open in early 2015.
