INDUSTRY SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 | siouxcityjournal.com | SECTION I Today, in its annual Progress edition, The Journal continues a series of special sections over fi ve Sundays that detail new development in the tri-state region. Sections I and J today focus on a bevy of industrial and housing projects. TIM HYNDS PHOTOS, SIOUX CITY JOURNAL Developer to restore Warrior Hotel and Davidson Building developers Renee and Lew Weinberg, left, talk with Restoration St. Louis’ Amy and Amrit Gill prior to a three historic buildings in ceremonial ribbon cutting held Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in what will become the second-story lobby area of the Warrior Hotel in downtown Sioux City. The long-empty historic hotel and the adjacent Davidson Building are being remodeled into hotel, apartment and retail spaces. Sioux City. HISTORIC WARRIOR gets extensive facelift Ho-Chunk Inc.’s Flatwater DOLLY A. BUTZ Crossing in South Sioux [email protected] enters next phases. SIOUX CITY — Plans to restore the War- rior Hotel to its former glory have come and gone over the past 40 years, but this time, PAGE I5 Amy and Amrit Gill, owners of Restoration St. Louis, say rehabilitation of the historic building is a “done deal.” The humming of construction equipment echoed through the Warrior on a Monday af- ternoon in early February as the Gills toured the historic hotel. A buck hoist, a temporary elevator, was being put in place to transport materials to each fl oor of the Warrior, and demolition work was ongoing in the next- door Davidson Building. First units sold in Sioux “When you do a hotel like this with Mar- City’s Chestnut Hill riott’s blessing, it can’t look like anything People leave the former Warrior Hotel following a ceremonial ribbon cutting Feb. 5, 2019, at else,” Amy Gill, president of Checkmate the historic building in downtown Sioux City. The long-empty historic hotel and the adjacent addition. Design, said. Davidson Building are being remodeled into hotel, apartment and retail spaces. Amrit Gill, president of Restoration St. Louis, interjected, “It has to be unique.” terior. The Gills are seeking old photos of the For more than three decades, Lew Wein- hotel in hopes of evoking some the Warrior’s PAGE J1 berg has tried to breathe new life into the original charm in its public spaces, while Warrior, which was once one of Sioux City’s adding modern amenities. most elegant hotels, and the historic David- The project started out with an estimated son Building next door. cost of $56 million based on preliminary Built in 1930, the 10-story Art Deco-style drawings, but that fi gure has since risen to hotel eventually fell on hard times and closed $73 million, largely due to construction cost in 1976. Since the late 1990s, the boarded-up infl ation, according to Amrit Gill, who said structure has been red-tagged by the city for fi nancing for the project closed in December. building code violations. The Iowa Economic Development Au- New businesses populate Weinberg’s development company part- thority awarded the project more than $11.3 nered with Restoration St. Louis, a fi rm that million in historic preservation tax credits, ex-Gateway space in specializes in historic restorations, to rede- which is $5 million short of the $16.5 million North Sioux City. velop the 200,000 square feet of combined the Sioux City Council agreed to guarantee. space in the Warrior and Davidson into a The project could be awarded the additional 148-room Marriott Autograph hotel, lux- $5 million in the state’s next budget year. ury apartments, bars, restaurants and other Patrons who enter the hotel on Sixth Street PAGE J2 retail outlets. The project is expected to be will fi nd a large fi replace behind the marble completed in the summer of 2020. and wrought iron grand staircase. They’ll be “Architects are having a lot of fun with it, able to take the staircase or elevators up to Guests walk up the grand stairway to gather because the building’s built like a wedding the second fl oor, where the lobby will be lo- prior to a ceremonial ribbon cutting held cake,” Amy Gill said. “Most hotels you strive cated. Amy Gill said niches behind the front Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019, in what will become the for uniformity. In this building, uniformity desk will house paintings, while a cage of live second-story lobby area of the Warrior Hotel in just kind of got thrown out the window.” goldfi nches will sit by the elevators. Gold- downtown Sioux City. The long-empty historic Amy Gill has a table in her offi ce covered fi nches also appear in detailing outside the hotel and the adjacent Davidson Building are with fabric and carpet swatches in hues of being remodeled into hotel, apartment and red, dark green and black for the hotel’s in- Please see WARRIOR, Page I3 retail spaces. Employment grows as Seaboard Triumph adds second shift. Convention Center hotel nears completion PAGE J2 Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Sioux City to feature 151 rooms DOLLY A. BUTZ [email protected] SIOUX CITY — A Courtyard by Mar- riott Hotel being built on the Sioux City Convention Center’s main parking lot is expected to open next fall. The more than $25 million project also includes the construction of a parking ramp Former warehouse behind the new hotel and the addition of a converted into affordable ballroom to the Convention Center. The two city projects, combined with apartments. the privately funded hotel, are expected to make the venue more marketable and at- tractive to events and conferences. North Liberty, Iowa-based Kinseth Hos- PAGE J4 pitality Co. will construct the 151-room hotel, while the city will complete the convention center modifi cations and the two-story parking structure, at the corner of Fifth and Virginia streets, just north of the main lot. “I think the good news is people are ac- tually starting to see progress and the work going on,” said Rick Lecy, general man- ager of Sioux City Convention Center and Interstate 29 widening Courtyard by Marriott. in metro area nears 00 Crews work to build a Courtyard by Marriott Hotel and a parking ramp in downtown Sioux City 1 completion. adjacent to the Sioux City Convention Center. Please see MARRIOTT, Page I4 I2 | SUNDAY, MARCH 17, 2019 SIOUXCITYJOURNAL.COM DOWNTOWN RENOVATIONS Main floor space in the Commerce Building, 520 Nebraska Street, is shown. The renovation TIM HYNDS PHOTOS, SIOUX CITY JOURNAL of the building into apartments and commercial space is part of Omaha developer J. J. Development plans to renovate the former Methodist Hospital, shown Feb. 8 at 2825 Development’s plans to renovate the Commerce, Hatch Furniture and former Methodist Douglas St., into housing. Hospital buildings into mixed-use properties. Breathing new life into 3 hospital buildings Commerce Building, former Hatch Furniture, Methodist hospital to be turned into housing, office space MASON DOCKTER perceived environmental building’s interior is com- community room and possi- to add another floor to the [email protected] contamination prevents plete, but J. Development bly a rooftop deck. Stavneak Hatch building. Online SIOUX CITY — A trio of productive expansion or re- principal Julie Stavneak said said the community rooms “We were actually al- long-disused buildings in development. the remaining work has hit should be a big draw. lowed to add the additional Visit siouxcityjournal. Sioux City — an old auto Here is a look at each “a little bit of a pause” at the “What we’ve been notic- floor because, from my com to view more photos dealership, a furniture store building. Commerce Building due to ing, a fairly strong trend, is understanding, when the of the Commerce Build- and a hospital — will soon Commerce Building red tape over provisions in people want to live in urban building was originally de- ing, former Hatch Furni- become housing for poten- The five-story building the historic tax credit pro- environments, they’re fine signed they were going to ture building and former tially hundreds of people. at 520 Nebraska St. dates gram. with living in smaller apart- add another floor, they had Methodist hospital. Omaha-based J. Develop- to 1912 when C.F. Lytle Co. “We’re working through a ments, but they really want plans to do it, and they never ment plans to pump an esti- opened it as Ralph A. Ben- few of the architectural plans extra space to be a little more did,” Stavneak said. said. “I anticipate that mated $34 million into the nett’s Motor Mart Building. with (preservation officials), social, hang out with peo- Overall, J. Development hopefully late fall to early Commerce Building, the for- The then-four-story struc- and hope to begin framing ple,” she said. plans to invest roughly $6.5 winter is when we’ll start mer Hatch Building and the ture housed his auto supply walls and starting full blast The remodeling also will million in the building, construction on that.” former Methodist Hospital company and included a on construction in about six leave around 10,000 square where there will be about The developer plans to to create modern residen- 10-by-20-foot freight ele- weeks,” Stavneak said. feet of commercial space on 6,000 square feet of com- use historic tax credits on tial and commercial space. vator to lift automobiles for The Commerce Building the lower floors. Leasing for mercial space following the hospital building as well. By 2020, a total of 176 units display on the upper stories.