HomeMy WebLinkAboutLaSalle Renovation Stalled; newspaper article (06-28-1982)~t ; 4 $ f ti , S.~
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C~ By JANE MILLS SMITH promised room and board there for ButRenwick said, until the lawsuit District Court. hotel, the City of Bryan may get into that such a project might entice
~ Staff Writer life when he sold it, After the LaSalle is Betted there can be no clear title to Bill Youngkin, attorney for Abbot, the act of upgrading the downtown others owning property downtown to Renovation of the LaSalle Hotel, a was closed io May, Jaques was forced the pnperty. He said the lawsuit has said he hopes the petition will be area through a federal grant, renovate the structures and new
project that many hope will begin a to relocate to Leisure Lodge. forcedpostponement of plans to close disqualified by the judge at that time prelimary plans call for 27th Street clients to rent space there.
restoration of downtown Bryan, is His lawsuit has put a cloud over the the sae on July 15 and probably will and the matter ended. to be closed between Main and Bryan According to correspondence with stalled until a legal battle over titre to the hotel and is blocking efforts make'.t impossible for the hotel to "I want everybody to get a fair Avenue sad transformed in to a public the city, the Omega Corporation plans
o The s awsuitttle~ Dives Col. J.C. by a Houston firm to purchase the reopenby next football season as he shake on this," said Renwick. "But it plaza. The plaza would be highlighted to put as much as $3 million into ~
structure. had hoed. is sad that people like us want to come by a special sidewalk file and land- downtown Bryan in the next 5 ,~0 7 Jaques, a former cater of the hotel, The bn er the delays, a said, a part of the community scaping that would also be used years.
Viand Lee Abbat of Dallas, wha was a Robert C. Renwick, a partner of the g h th in sad turn that
more i jeopardy the entire project around, as well as make a few dollars across Main Street and around the old - ~ party in a corporation which also Omega Management Corporation of become, for ourselves, of course. But we're in a Carnegie Building and the Bryan Currently, the LaSalle property is in
~ owned the hotel, Houston, said his firm plans to buy the holding pattern." Public Library to form a special in- bankruptcy court. Jaques had lived in a suite of rooms hotel and spend considerable amounts A pretrial hearing and request fora terest section for downtown. The elderly persons who once lived
on the top floor of the hotel for many of money renovating it and the ad- summry judgment , on the Jaques If the Omega Corporation does there have been relocated and the
years and claims that be was jacent Harrison Building. lawsuit is set for July 25 in 272nd eventually purchase and restore the City planners and Renwick hope building stands empty
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By JANE MILLS association'scurr SM~ en headquarters, is Abbot because he wasn't allowed to senior association, argued that q
Staff Writer Part of a lawsuit fill by J.C. Jaques live in the hotel forever. of Bryan, against Lee Abbot of The less pendens lien notice put a citizensbto have thetpropertysso ono
A lien notice on property being Dallas. Jacques had peen a resident of claim on the property and would matter what the outcome of the purchased by the Brazos County the LaSalle Hotel inlowntown Bryan have made it impossible for a clear lawsuit, the group would continue to 1'~
Senior Citizens Association at 308 W, for many years and ttaintains he had title to be obtained. The notice still
28th►n Bryan was dismissed Friday a contract to stay thee the rest of his remains on the hotel property, Purchase the property. by District Judge Bradley Smith, life. When the hotf was recently Elmer McVey, attorney for Jaques,
Smith instructed the association to vacated and closed, agues moved to said Jaques has never had any Bill Youngkin, representing Abbot, ~
make future payments for the Leisure Lodge in Brye~, said Jaques has no "standing" to file
building to the court registry until a arguments with the seniors group and the lawsuit. He said a corporatio lawsuit involving the property is Jaques maintains wants them to purchase thei[• ~`°Aed the hotel and 28th Street
settled, a never was property. Our challenge is Mr. property, not Jaques. compensated for sell~g the LaSalle Abbott'sownership,"hesaid,
The property, which is the Hotel and the 28th' Stnet property to William Vanee, attorney for the hearinglon June 19, set for pre•trail `
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1 By DAVID CRISP - µ languishing.
Staff Writer ' Omega Corp. tried to get a
The dream of restoring the „ ~ ' ~ ~ loan through the Small Business i,aSalle Hotel to the centerpiece , ~ °e.k ' ~ Administration, but failed.
of a rejuvenated downtown ~ : ~ Designation of the downtown
Bryan is dead, at least for now. area as an "eligible blighted
Efforts to obtain federal fun- ~ ~ area" so it would qualify for in- ' ding and long-term financing , ~ ~ 4~' dustrial revenue bonds hasn't
have tailed, and the hotel sits va- h,p ~ ~ y > helped, because the bonds aren't
t cant,' mired in bankruptcy pro- available.
ceedings, condemned by the city, s ~ What the future holds is uncer-
its windows breaking and its ~ y ' tain, but Omega Corp. has given ~ carpet rotting from broken water ` a up trying.
' pipes, ~ ~ ~ ~ "It's going to take somebody a
' "It's going to take the local lot stronger than we are to do it,"
~ community -somebody with ~ ~ r ~ ~ ` ~ Renwick said. "it's basicall o- ,e~ ti , ~ ~ ~ ~ y g. enough guts to step up to the ~ g„ d : ing to take 100 percent equity."
table and save downtown ~ ~ The hotel itself is succumbing
Bryan," said Robert Renwick of ~ ~ ~ o- ~ s to age and disuse. Vandals have
Houston's Omega Management ~ r. ~ ~ , t~` „ ` ,M? : broken out windows, allowing Corp., which was trying to scrape ~ ~ ~ ~,l ~ ~ y ' pigeons in. When pigeons, move
' together funds to restore the ~ ' . ~6. ' ,xk ~ + in, rats soon follow, City Planner
t building. ; ° Hubert Nelson said.
~ City officials were informed ~ 9 ~ During January's hard freeze,
earlier this month that an ap- water pipes burst, allowing water plicatioa fora $200,000 federal ~ ¢ _ into the basement and soaking
Urban Development Action ~ ~ , ~ the lobby carpet. Bryan building
„w , Cvant was turned down. The ~ " ~ ~ „ ~ inspectors have condemned the
reason: lack of private financing. ' ' ~ ~ ~ ~ structure, and are trying now to M~~ The market for bonds and locate the owners.
grants is "extremely difficult," Y Eaglepho[obyKathyYoung If they are found, they will be
Renwick said. He says his com- LaSalle Hotel still sits vacant in davntown Bryan a f ter renovation attempts jrailed. given time -usually 60 days -
pany spent a "ton of money" on place between Houston and elderly >~ople and some over- down hef~~r crvinoine , to make needed repairs. If not . L _ _ - _ - . • . w ~ ~ _ _ _ _ . • .
[ne project, an esitma[ea a3U,UUU 1)a11aS. - o •a repalrea in a reaso megamount night giests kept the hotel sell it to Omega Corp. of time, the building mi ht have
to $40,000 in legal and architec- John Columbus Jaques, a operatingintil May 1980, when it . Renwick said he saw the hotel to be torn down. tural fees. North Texas businessman and was close(, for sale in a newspaper and drove The Abbotts, who still hold the
With high interest rates, banks contractor, bought it in 1959 and That cane after the hotel was to Bryan to look at it. "My wife underlying lien on the property,
just weren't interested in funding converted it three years later into sold to Ira Abbott of Dallas, hated it, and I loved it," he said. would just like to get the hotel
the $1,6 million renovation of 76 the LaSalle Home for the who madea deal that left the ag• An earnest money contract was. out of bankruptcy and recover hotel rooms and four suites, a 90- Retired. in Ja ueswith five rooms on the drawn u on the sale, but it never
o do s seat restaurant and bar and a By 1976, the hotel no longer seventh flog for life. went through, Renwick said, The their title, if l they ,
n t they will s meeting room for 100 persons. could meet tough new federal But Ja es along with the hotel has been tied u in put the hotel he market
said. It would have been a return to regulations for nursing care other resi6mts, was forced out bankruptcy for again, Mrs, Abbott the
a glory for the 54-year-old hotel, facilities and nursing home pa- when new owners Bill and Mar proceedings Jas for two That would leave the LaSalle d which was once billed as the best tients had to move out. But man Frances M(-Iam closed the hotel `ors and a lawsuit Jaques filed Hotel with one more chance to be
y get his rooms back is saved. ~t
it -