DAYTON — Demolition of the Mendelson’s building along First Street was underway Tuesday morning.
Heavy machinery was at the business building tearing down large metal beams.
>>PHOTOS: Demolition officially started on former Mendelson's building
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The property is expected to be home to a new AC Hotel by Marriott that would feature a rooftop bar.
The project’s developer, Crawford Hoying, previously opened the Fairfield Inn & Suites at the Water Street development, which is located within walking distance of the new proposed hotel.
The new hotel will be six stories and will be almost 90,000 square feet, offering a lounge, media library, fitness center and meeting spaces.
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AC Hotels by Marriott are very modern and hip and have a crisp design and feel, said Brent Crawford, principal of Crawford Hoying.
The new hotel will have a rooftop bar and full-service restaurant that overlooks Day Air Ballpark, which undoubtedly will be a major regional destination, he said.
“I think people are going to be shocked by what this can do for that area and the experience it can create,” he said.
Crawford Hoying said work on the hotel will begin in March, with a planned opening of mid to late 2021, hopefully in time for the baseball season.
Crawford said two of the newer, smaller Mendelson’s buildings along East First Street will be torn down to make way for the hotel.
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Crawford Hoying, which is based in Dublin, opened an AC Hotel by Marriott in Bridge Park in that city a couple of years ago, and it is one of the top-performing hotels of its brand in the nation, Crawford said.
The rooftop bar in Dayton will provide unmatched views of the ballpark, riverfront and city, which will be popular during the warm months, but it also will have plastic, heated “igloos” that allow people to dine outside comfortably during the fall and winter, Crawford said.
“We have a rooftop bar here that has really become one of the go-to destinations in all of Columbus, not just Dublin,” he said.
The rooftop bar and restaurant will have an entry and elevator separate from the hotel, and the elevator will go straight to the top floor.
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The rooftop bar and restaurant will be 6,100 square feet, with indoor and outdoor patios, as well as 1,700 square feet of private event space and an outdoor terrace, which is expected to be used for weddings and corporate events.
“About 80 to 90% of the people at the rooftop bar won’t be staying at the hotel,” Crawford said.
The new AC Hotel will be a higher price point than the nearby Fairfield Inn, and it is likely to attract business and leisure travelers, as well as people who want a staycation, Crawford said.
“Typically as we do developments like this, we want to hit different price points for different clientele,” he said.
Crawford Hoying, in partnership with Woodard Development, has invested about $120 million into the area around Day Air Ballpark. They have created new housing, offices, restaurants, hotel rooms and other amenities.
The firm is creating a similar district in Dayton that it already has developed in Dublin, and the hotel is just the latest piece of that work, and more announcements are on the way, Crawford said.
Last year, they opened a $15 million Fairfield Inn & Suites hotel next to the Water Street office building, which was the first new hotel built downtown in decades.