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Miller & Rhoads Hilton Hotel/Condo Conversion

tombarnes

By tombarnes
in Richmond

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journiyin Hamlet

journiyin

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Journiyin has joined the ranks of Urban Planet/Richmond's ACE PHOTOGRAPHERS. :alc:

And your perch is providing views never seen. Many thanks.

Wonder if a quartet of live cams could be installed? -- one on your roof; another high up in the John Marshall; a third in the brown tower at n/e corner of 6th and Broad, and a fourth in the Grace apartment tower at 4th Street. Then we'd get get full coverage of construction at M&R and VAPAF. :)

Who would sponsor such an endeavor.. which I find quite fascinating? We would also get a good view of centennial towers rising. Which, if you look at the photos is in the direction of the one green space shot I took...

My perch... was actually standing on the Berry Burk sign so I didnt bother anyone below in the building... being on the top floor I know when someone is out on the roof since the rocks on top crunch under their feet and it reverberates off the concrete ceiling.

Bonus of having to walk the dog last night... in the parking lot one of the floor by floor plans that contractors use had been blown out of the building. It was the eighth floor plan...

Can anyone confirm what is going on that floor according to their sources... there is a large space and restrooms are included... it almost looks big enough for a meeting or dining space, but I think this is just a phasing print, as opposed to a final product...

Any takers?

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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Wheeee! :w00t: Maybe they're going to revive M&R Tea Room (though I don't think it was on the 8th floor -- more like the fifth).

Ladies in white gloves and fancy hats would jam the Tea Room every day to chat, eat and watch beautiful models walk the runway in the latest fashions while Eddie Weaver provided musical accompaniment.

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  • 3 weeks later...
burt Megalopolis

burt

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Luxury apartments... those granite topped counters and steel doored refrigerators.

They don't look very luxurious to me compared to other rental/condo units around town. As jb says, maybe this is "affordable" housing which is certainly needed in center city.

Didn't we hear long ago that the condo (or rental) units would be in the south west section overlooking Fifth street? The rendering says they face Sixth Street. Maybe they will be in the low-rise Broad Street building and the hotel will be in the Grace Street building.

By the way, if you work real hard, you can actually come up with 9 stories in parts of the M&R structure.

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journiyin Hamlet

journiyin

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They don't look very luxurious to me compared to other rental/condo units around town. As jb says, maybe this is "affordable" housing which is certainly needed in center city.

Didn't we hear long ago that the condo (or rental) units would be in the south west section overlooking Fifth street? The rendering says they face Sixth Street. Maybe they will be in the low-rise Broad Street building and the hotel will be in the Grace Street building.

By the way, if you work real hard, you can actually come up with 9 stories in parts of the M&R structure.

That you can, Ill try and post pics tomorrow that I shot on my walk that show the facing going on the additional floor/s they have constructed. I do believe they will still sell some of the units right off. Just not sure how many, I have a call in with ECI Development for clarification of that fact. Maybe they used the affordable housing as a bargaining chip for reduced parking requirements?

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  • 2 weeks later...
burt Megalopolis

burt

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Journi, have you been away for thr weekend? I miss your comments. Looking forward to your promised pix of M&R and other projects. Take a look at Tommy's (TBurban) comments in the Town Center West and WBV threads.

Apparently there is going to be only one restaurant in M&R Hilton Garden Inn and that is a brand that is found among that chain whose name I have forgotten ("American" is in the name, I believe.)

A single eating place in the hotel may be beneficial to Prodigy Partners and their planned CANVAS restaurant in the 300 block of East Broad as well as to whatever restaurant opens in a part of the National Theater.

Someone on the Norfolk thread said that Hilton Garden Inns never get more than a 2-star rating. If that's the case, I bet the city will not be happy because I think their partnership in the project was relying on at least a three-star hotel.

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journiyin Hamlet

journiyin

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Journi, have you been away for thr weekend? I miss your comments. Looking forward to your promised pix of M&R and other projects. Take a look at Tommy's (TBurban) comments in the Town Center West and WBV threads.

Apparently there is going to be only one restaurant in M&R Hilton Garden Inn and that is a brand that is found among that chain whose name I have forgotten ("American" is in the name, I believe.)

A single eating place in the hotel may be beneficial to Prodigy Partners and their planned CANVAS restaurant in the 300 block of East Broad as well as to whatever restaurant opens in a part of the National Theater.

Someone on the Norfolk thread said that Hilton Garden Inns never get more than a 2-star rating. If that's the case, I bet the city will not be happy because I think their partnership in the project was relying on at least a three-star hotel.

You are correct, I was taking a camping trip up in the Blue Ridge for the weekend. I am downloading the pics as we speak, Ill go through them and get them up sometime today.

I did check out the TCW post and I havent decided how to react to it yet, lets just say I am mulling a PC response ;)

American Cafe perhaps on the restuarant? (Which used to be Mozzarella Cafe a decade ago) And if that is the case, then canvas is quite safe as they will satisfy two entirely different palattes.

Gardens Inns are a stripped down version, so I wouldnt be shocked about the two star rating. I am aware that they are required to hit that 3 Star rating, or else they lose their agreement with the city. I think ECI is planning on making up that star with certain accessaries and amenities. Ill try and dig up some more information if I can.

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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Burt they mention in the article that it is still a Hilton Hotel and not a Hilton Garden Inn. I wonder still if its still gonna be a full service Hilton.

I doubt it has reverted to full-service Hilton, Joey. I think the writer just failed to add "Garden Inn" after the Hilton name.

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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An insider tells us that the atrium will begin above the pool on the second level and soar to the rooftop skylight. This, and the restoration of window openings on the Grace Street building are making this Hilton sound better each day.

Do you suppose maybe it WILL be full-scale Hilton and not a Garden Inn?

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Downtowner Burg

Downtowner

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Burt im really starting to think that even though im not able to get anymore information from Mr Laing due to certain reasons with him and his family. But me and his son hang out at his dads place and stuff. You probably get what im saying when I say "His Dads Place". But its hard to get info from him now that he has a place of his own.

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thatguy Whistle-Stop

thatguy

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An insider tells us that the atrium will begin above the pool on the second level and soar to the rooftop skylight. This, and the restoration of window openings on the Grace Street building are making this Hilton sound better each day.

Do you suppose maybe it WILL be full-scale Hilton and not a Garden Inn?

Everything you mentioned, is why it is going to be a Garden Inn. The atrium and the sky roof are all part of the Garden Inn feel for this location. There are no other options that fit Hilton's brand. Everyone refers to it as the "hilton", but that does not suggest there plans have changed. Sorry, it is a Garden Inn.

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burt Megalopolis

burt

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Well, if it's definitely slated to be a Garden Inn, it sure is unlike the suburban models. And I can tell you for sure, the Hilton Garden Inn at about 50th and 8th Avenue here in Manhattan has none of the amenities that apparently are going into M&R.

While full-service would be preferable, the upgraded Garden Inn in the totally renovated M&R is sounding more and more like a new definition of the brand.

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