Ridpath Hotel Renovation Project Scheduled To Begin In Mid-April

Owners of the Ridpath Hotel, seeking to broaden its appeal and preserve the its vintage look, will begin a $3.5 million renovation beginning April 17.

Crews will start with the downstairs lobby and the Silver Grill Restaurant. By November, when the remodeling will be complete, guests will be greeted by a restructured facade, lobby and two restaurants.

Rooms in the hotel tower, east wing and executive court will be updated with new bathroom appliances, maple furniture, upholstery and carpets.

Construction teams will also restructure the parking entrance to make it handicap-accessible according to the Americans with Disabilities Act; knock out the circular fireplace and salad bar in the Silver Grill; and improve the audio system in the catering halls, said Carl Naccarato, general manager at the Ridpath, 514 W. First.

With 356 guest rooms, the Ridpath is the third-largest downtown hotel. Although Cavanaugh’s Inn at the Park and the Sheraton-Spokane (soon to be a Red Lion franchise) have a few more rooms, the three compete for conventions.

For the fourth year in a row, Atlanta was the nation’s “hottest metro area housing market,” according to the National Association of Home Builders’ survey of singlefamily home permit activity.

Following Atlanta’s 31,847 permits in 1994, the Phoenix-Mesa area had 28,193 permits; Chicago had 26,324 permits; Washington, D.C. had 25,862; and Las Vegas had 20,540 permits.

The survey does not factor the percentage change for an area’s housing permit activity. In fact, 1994 statistics from Atlanta were a net decrease of almost 1 percent from 1993 statistics. Phoenix-Mesa, however, showed an increase of more than 20 percent.

The list also does not indicate geographical trends for home building. In fact, the survey’s top 10 list includes cities from Riverside and Bernardino, Calif. to Philadelphia and several cities in between.

Spokane was not included in the list of 50 U.S. cities.

TRANSACTIONS

Dana Commercial Credit Corp., a commercial lender, leased 672 square feet in the White Flag Building of the Tapio Office Center. Agent: Gary Clarke of R.W. Robideaux & Co.

Max’s Italian Subs leased 1,800 square feet at 9223 E. Montgomery. Agents: Lynn Davis of R.W. Robideaux & Co. and Vern Byrd of Vern Byrd & Associates.

James L. Groves & Co., insurance sales, leased 896 square feet to expand in the Orange Flag Building of the Tapio Office Center. Agents: Gary Clarke of R.W. Robideaux & Co. and Glen Cloninger of Cloninger & Associates.

R.W. Robideaux & Co. will take over management at three new apartment complexes owned by Argyle Holdings, Inc.: 120 units at Cedar Sands, 212 E. Wedgewood; 85 townhouses at Summerwood Club, 6901 N. Wiscomb; and 154 units at Rosewood Club, 401 E. Magnesium.

Northwest Fair Housing Alliance expanded to 1620 square feet in the Rookery Building at 14 N. Howard. Agent: Denise Harfield of R.W. Robideaux & Co.

Comics, Cards & Collectibles leased 1,206 square feet at 510 W. Sprague. Agent: Denise Harfield of R.W. Robideaux & Co.

Peppertree Inn of Portland purchased 4 acres at the intersection of Geiger Boulevard and Interstate 90 to build a new motel. Agent: Jack Carroll of Jack Hatch Co.

The Weller company, a heating and air conditioning wholesaler based in Portland, purchased 15,263 square feet for an industrial building at 6627 E. Mission. Agents: Pete Thompson of Hawkins & Edwards Realty and Jack Carroll of Jack Hatch Co.

Golden Rule Brake, auto and truck mechanic, leased 2,405 square feet at 625 N. Monroe. Agent: Jack Carroll of Jack Hatch Co.

Wilderness Wood, Inc., a wood and fiberglass exterior sign maker based in Seattle, leased 2,880 square feet at 3828 E. Broad. Agents: Jack Carroll of Jack Hatch Co. and Jim Orcutt of Tomlinson Commercial.