Published: June 01, 2006 11:58 pm         

Construction on the Hilton Garden Inn slated to start in July

Construction on the Hilton Garden Inn-Terre Haute House is slated to start in early to mid-July, said Paul Thrift of Thompson Thrift Construction Inc.

“It is a done deal. We closed on the property [Thursday morning] and the hotel is going to be a reality,” Thrift said.

Dora Brothers Hospitality Corp. is the owner of the hotel, Thrift said, declining to say if Thompson Thrift is involved in a partnership for the hotel. The new hotel is to be built at Seventh Street and Wabash Avenue on the site of the former Terre Haute House, which was demolished last year.

Thompson Thrift Construction Inc. is the general contractor on the nearly $12 million, 113-room, six-story hotel project.

“Our roles have been developer and general contractor. As developer, we have been trying to coordinate all the development to get it to closing,” Thrift said.

Terre Haute developer Greg Gibson, who obtained the former Terre Haute House from the Hulman family, said the sale of the property was delayed because “we were waiting on the architects to finish, so that is why the closing is happening so late.”

“I think this will be good for the community and the downtown,” Gibson said, adding it will help get revitalization of the city’s downtown moving.

The construction site “is prepared … the soil compaction reports are in and site is ready for construction. We are waiting on drawings from the architect, which are due next week,” Thrift said. “Once those arrive, the plans will be distributed and all the subcontractors will be contracted through June and hopefully on-site construction can start early to mid-July.”

The project will take 11 to 12 months to complete. The building will have a brick and stone exterior. The interior will be constructed with structural concrete, Thrift said. The hotel will have 109 rooms and four suites. That room number has scaled back from an original plan for 127 rooms.

Timothy J. Dora, co-owner of the corporation, is on vacation, according to a telephone message at his office in Fishers, and could not be reached for comment Thursday. A message seeking comment was left on the answering machine of a company representative and with co-owner Bob Dora.

Thrift said the hotel interior may use some memorabilia of the former Terre Haute House, but the cost to salvage much of the former hotel’s limestone for use on the new hotel was cost prohibitive.

Howard Greninger can be contacted at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.