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Downtown hotel exploring ideas for renovation

The Holiday Inn was last renovated about 10 years ago.

BY KAREN A. DAVIS

Journal Staff Writer | February 1, 2005

PROVIDENCE -- Contractors for the Holiday Inn Downtown recently drilled test borings and conducted soil tests to determine whether to move forward with a major renovation.

Christopher Daly, a spokesman for the Procaccianti Group, which owns the hotel, said the work was done in the front and sides of the building.

Daly said owners have proposed adding a new facade to the hotel on Atwells Avenue, next to the Dunkin' Donuts Center.

According to a document supplied to the Convention Center Authority late last year, the hotel is on tap for a complete renovation.

The work at the Holiday Inn was included in the Cranston-based Procaccianti Group's bid to buy the Westin Providence.

The project, which is slated to begin in March and be completed within a year, calls for a new facade, renovation of guest rooms and meeting space, and changes in parking.

The project will include the addition of a steakhouse, a sports bar and a coffee shop.

Daly said the project might include construction of a ballroom on Aborn Street and a parking garage.

He said the testing was being done to determine whether the project can proceed.

The last major renovation at the 275-room downtown hotel took place about 10 years ago and included expansion of the lobby, redecorated guest rooms, repainting of the edifice, and replacement of the canopy in front.

The hotel was built in 1969.

From The Providence Journal

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They really need to fix that place up it looks like a dive from roadside

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well, it looks like a Holiday Inn :lol:

I've heard that it is being rebranded as a Hilton, but I don't know how reliable those rumours are. I had heard earlier that they were planning on redoing the facade, and I had seen some of the work they were doing over the last couple months. The test borings they did were right near the edge of the street, so it would seem that they are planning to expand out the front, which would be nice to see the building have a facade right up against the sidewalk, definately more urban.

This article was the first I had heard of a steak house, sports bar, or cafe. I think the sports bar and steak house are great ideas, even if they are chains, which I imagine they will be. It's a good draw for P-Bruins and Friars fans coming out of the Dunk. There's too many fancy restaurants around town that aren't really attractive to many average joes.

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I can't wait to see what it'll look like. I never thought it would actually happen. I thought we were stuck with that till it fell over. That place is such an eyesore. When I'm on the highway and supposed to be focusing on the road, all I can think of is how much it takes away from the city (not that nearby Regency Plaza is any marvel). Hopefully they do something we can all be proud of and won't have to cringe at everytime we see it.

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Wow, if any building in the Providence downtown needs to be redone, it's that one. I won't keep my hopes too high, though, as most hotel "redo's" I've seen have been mild at most... I too, though, hope that the huge sign goes!

- Garris

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  • 3 months later...

I am probably mistaken.. but the tower "phase2" will being when the renovations of the current building are complete.

This tower will be purely condos I believe. I think though, that the tower should be built taller.. if it is supposed to be all condos, why not just add maybe 7-10 floors of more hotel rooms and then build the condos on top of that so the building can be about 150 ft higher :) WHY NOT AMERICA!?a?!?!?!?!?a??q?@eev?~

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I am probably mistaken.. but the tower "phase2" will being when the renovations of the current building are complete.

This tower will be purely condos I believe. I think though, that the tower should be built taller.. if it is supposed to be all condos, why not just add maybe 7-10 floors of more hotel rooms and then build the condos on top of that so the building can be about 150 ft higher :) WHY NOT AMERICA!?a?!?!?!?!?a??q?@eev?~

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They are planning to have some new rooms in the new tower already.

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  • 1 month later...

They may be getting to work here. There has been a construction fence up on the LaSalle Square side for about a week, and they are digging something up (moving utilities maybe). There's also what appears to be a site trailer on Aborn Street behind the building.

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They may be getting to work here. There has been a construction fence up on the LaSalle Square side for about a week, and they are digging something up (moving utilities maybe). There's also what appears to be a site trailer on Aborn Street behind the building.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This could also be the LaSalle Sq. make over....

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They may be getting to work here. There has been a construction fence up on the LaSalle Square side for about a week, and they are digging something up (moving utilities maybe). There's also what appears to be a site trailer on Aborn Street behind the building.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you sure that's Aborn St?

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What's up everyone, just signed on to urbanplanet yesterday, and I'm wondering how much company time I'm gonna spend in the forums here. I thought I would chime in on this one though, since the architecture firm I work for is doing some work for the Holiday Inn-Hilton conversion. I'm not sure how much I can say, but we worked on the new skin for the existing hotel building, the glass box addition by LaSalle square, as well as the construction drawings for the interior renovation. The interior design is by Dileonardo, the same group that did the inside of the Hotel Providence.

The design for the new exterior has changed countless times, and who knows if it's even final yet. Basically, the existing building is to remain, and a new facade will be built on top of what's there now. Last week I spent some time working out some concepts that use a few different colors of EIFS (exterior insulation & finish system - like stucco for lack of a better term), in order to create more depth for the front elevation. It doesn't really look anything like the rendering that Cotuit posted earlier, but then again it changes every week. I'm not sure exactly when constuction will begin, but I wouldn't be surprised if it already has.

As all of you have said, this building is in desperate need of a facelift at the least, especially because of its prominence in the skyline from I-95. Hopefully in the end, the building won't look like the tired, characterless box that it is now.

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Thanks for the update Griswald.

I'm not sure exactly when constuction will begin, but I wouldn't be surprised if it already has.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They've been doing something for the last two weeks. They tore out all the plants and erected a fence on the LaSalle Square side. Yesterday men were going up the side of the building in a window washer thing (except it's one of the sides with no windows). If I had to speculate, I would say they were inspecting the facade to see how the new facade can and will attach.

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Are they only facelifting the existing Holiday Inn, or are they still gonna build a new taller hotel in front of it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

--I'm pretty sure Procaccianti is still gonna build a new tower, but we're not designing that so I don't have any details.

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Are they only facelifting the existing Holiday Inn, or are they still gonna build a new taller hotel in front of it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The new tower is to begin construction AFTER the facelift of the original hotel.

From the Procgroup web site:

"Renovation and conversion of the existing Hotel is scheduled to commence mid-summer, 2005 and be completed by early 2006. Construction of the new parking facility and tower component is scheduled to commence thereafter and be completed in 18

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The new tower is to begin construction AFTER the facelift of the original hotel.

From the Procgroup web site:

"Renovation and conversion of the existing Hotel is scheduled to commence mid-summer, 2005 and be completed by early 2006. Construction of the new parking facility and tower component is scheduled to commence thereafter and be completed in 18

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So the latest information that I have, is that the project is out to bid - i.e. the contractor is hiring the subs for the construction. We are going over shop drawings in the office now. I don't think the design is set in stone though, as the client continues to change things. If I get an updated rendering I'll post it here. (We have a few now, but a. the color of the building is not correct and b. the design itself is different.) - I wouldn't want to give a false impression of what the building is going to look like. ;)

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Thanks, looking forward to it, cool avatar by the way.  :thumbsup:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks, couldn't resist, even though there are a ton of good PVD pictures to choose from. By the way, I was wondering what the stuff under our names means, like "Crossroads," etc...

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By the way, I was wondering what the stuff under our names means, like "Crossroads," etc...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It changes as your post count goes up to become bigger and bigger geographic units. I.E. I'm at 4000+ posts, and I'm a City. :)

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ha, that's cool.

No Hilton news today, but I did learn something somewhat interesting - if construction from the Holiday Inn conversion isn't finished on time, Hilton won't put their name on the hotel, and therefore it will be vacant, no revenue coming in. That's why they have such an (unrealistic) schedule to get things finished. I hope they do it, at least for Proc.'s sake.

Even though many of the floors were recently renovated, the interior has to be completely redone so that it fits the Hilton standards. I don't think the size of the guest rooms fits though, they're pretty small. More later.........

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Even though many of the floors were recently renovated, the interior has to be completely redone so that it fits the Hilton standards. I don't think the size of the guest rooms fits though, they're pretty small.  More later.........

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I stayed there once, when my boyfriend and I came up from NYC to check out the city. It's not bad, definately a Holiday Inn though (we made the mistake of eating there). :sick:

It's certainly worth Proc's while to upgrade, even if Hilton backs out, they shouldn't have a problem getting a brand name on it. I'm sure the Hilton really wants to be here too and it's cheaper to renovate and expand than start from scratch. Hilton would likely want a Convention Center adjacent property too, and the only other option is the Fogarty site, which has Proc. involvement in it too.

I would imagine that as long as Proc. starts soon, the end date will become flexible.

The other place I could see Hilton going if they backed out of the Holiday Inn deal is a phase II at Waterplace.

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