New ownership means Roosevelt Hotel might soon boast 'No Vacancy'

The possibility of Corktown's Roosevelt Hotel seeing new life just got a bit more probable. Boydell Development Co. purchased the property last month after it went into foreclosure in September, and while some of the company's holdings may not inspire (Bouzouki, perhaps?), the truth is that there are plenty of successes to point to, including Coaches Corner, Russell Industrial Center and Niki's Pizza, which recently underwent a major renovation.

The abrupt change in ownership had the potential to derail the installation of a 35-foot neon sign declaring "No Vacancy" that was planned for the north face of the building. Luckily, Boydell agreed to allow it. "Dennis (Kefallinos, president of Boydell) is an avid supporters of the arts," says Eric Novack, project manager for Boydell. "And there is the possibility of development in the future, but we have to take a hard look at it first."

Boydell already owns a handful of properties in the neighborhood, including the Brooklyn and Lafayette Lofts. "We love that area," says Novack.

The hotel is smack-dab in the middle of a bundle of activity: to the south is Imagination Station, a proposed community media center, to the north is a newly surfaced community parking lot and the park that it faces is undergoing revitalization efforts. It once serviced travelers who disembarked at Michigan Central Station, and later lived as an SRO before fire damage forced its closure. It has sat empty for about a decade.

The Hygenic Dress League, the duo behind the sign installation, will officially unveil it with a public art performance this Saturday, Nov. 20, at 5:07 p.m. Find coverage of their unique approach to branding here and Loveland's Kickstarter campaign for the sign here.

Read a Model D Q&A with Kefallinos here.

Source: Eric Novack, Boydell Development
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh