Ridgeway Construction Update
November 29th, 2010 by Joe Burgess
Many changes can be seen at "the Ridgeway" in the past month.
New windows are making a big difference in the appearance of the building.
H.M.W. can now be clearly read, above the Wells Building.
It adds a historic look to the view from the west.
Insulation is being added in the Wells Building.
Sheetrock is also being installed in the Wells Building.
The support system is being built in place for the elevator / stair tower.
In the main Ridgeway structure, more framing is being put into place.
3 men are shown working of different projects on the laundry /excercise area.
while another works on the roof membrane on the Wells building, recently.
- Many improvements are taking place at the Ridgeway site.
Framing is being completed in the apartment area. Windows and sheetrock will likely start to be installed in the next week of so.
A crane is being used to lift a power washer up, to presssure clean the brick facade.
This allows the details and etching in the brick to be easily seen.
The old entrance to the Well's Building has been closed.
This makes an impressive downtown view of passing traffic and activity.
Framing of the laundry and excercise room will begin soon.
The elevator post will be buried at least 50 feet deep, for stability. The main stairway will also be located here.
The orange pipea are the sprinkler system, which will be installed in each room. Cable and telephone wiring is also being installed, at this time.
The old coal-fueled boiler chimney, which reaches from the basement to the roof, will remain in place, for added structure support.
Within the past month, the external stair tower has been completed, and the former Bones Auto Parts building has been removed.
Wall re-construction can be seen from the south.
Progress continues to be made in the Wells Building.
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Framing is nearing completion for the apartments.
Ductwork, plumbing, electrical and tubs are being installed. Sheetrock should be completed later this month.
The old pool hall will be made into apartments on the west side, and a laundry room and fitness room on the east.
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Framing work continues in the main Ridgeway Hotel building.
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The roof liner and insulation work should be completed this week.
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Horse-Shoe Feeds Sign Found Painted inside of “the Ridgeway”. As workers at the Ridgeway were removing old plaster inside of the "old pool hall" , they discovered this sign for Horse-Shoe Feeds. The sign was likely painted between 1912 and 1929. It is located on the east wall of the HMWells building, which was an outside wall during that time period.
Posted Oct. 4, 2010
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Posted Aug. 31, 2010
A view from the street doesn't show how much work is being accomplished at the Ridgeway Hotel construction site.
Such as the upstairs floor joists and roof supports are 3/4 complete in the Wells Buildins.
This ground level view, looking up through the old elevator shaft will be gone, when new flooring is put in place.
A closer look at the center building shows that a car likely drove through the building sometime in the past, causing some of the tiling to be gone, and a door to have been installed at the time.
and the newly installed plumbing has been covered, as well.
New concrete has been added to the "dancehall floor",
New windows have been added to the bottom floor of the Wells building on the street side,
and to the back of both floors on the skywalk side.
while another crew solidifies the Ridgeway's east well, where the fire escape will be located.
- Multiple crews are working at the same time, while this lift is rebuilding a portion of the Wells wall,
Even the "stars" that were once a part of the second floor joist system in the Wells building, will be re-installed as decorations when the construction is completed.
This heavy duty crane, estimated to be between 100-120 feet tall, when fully extended, was brought into the Ridgeway Hotel project, Tuesday, to lower the old elevator assembly down to the floor, to be dismantled, among other possible projects.
The Ridgeway Hotel, showing the disposal chute, that transfrers debris to the trucks that remove it from the work site.
MonticelloLive took a tour of some of the work being done at the Ridgeway Hotel, recently, as it is being renovated to serve as a 32 unit elderly housing facility. Here are some of the changes taking place, at this point in the construction.
Plumbing and supply systems are being updated and installed.
Floors are being ground to a smooth surface, and the dust contained.
The Wells Building is also being renovated.
The old rafters and floor joist in the Wells Building are being removed.
They are being replaced, along with a new roof, and all new utiliity access lines.
The entrance-sized openings, shown here, will connect to the stair and elevator tower, which will access the sky-walk to the Wells Building.
2nd floor joists were installed a couple of weeks ago, in the Wells Building
The Dave Grundfest Company, of Little Rock is the construction contractor.
More updated photos will be posted in the future from the Ridgeway, as this historic landmark comes back to life in downtown Monticello.
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Posted May 18, 2010
Ridgeway Hotel Sr. Housing Should begin Early Construction Next Week
After years of hard work, planning, and negotiating by members of the MEDC, the Ridgeway Hotel, which is being remodeled into housing units for elderly residents, is expected to see early stages of construction in the next week.
More information about the project is posted below the link.
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Posted May 15, 2010.
Pre-Construction Meeting Held Tuesday for Ridgeway, Work Could Start Later This Month
Tuesday morning, a pre-construction meeting was held at the Arkansas Development Finance Authority office in Little Rock, to work out a few of the remaining details to be considered before remodeling begins at the old Ridgeway Hotel, on Gaines Street, just off from the Monticello square.
Among those present were representatives from ADFA, Neighborhood Builders, Fennell Purifoy Architects, Grundfest Company (general contractors), Bennie Ryburn III (MEDC president), Truman Hamilton (MEDC Director), and Mayor Joe Rogers.
Items discussed included: inspection guidelines, contractor responsibilities, agency policies, construction postings and ARRA signage requirements, and labor requirements, among many other topics.
The contractor will likely be on scene later this month,
The completion date is estimated to be around April 15, 2011.
When completed the Ridgeway will provide 32 elderly housing units inside of the old Hotel, that has been a Monticello landmark to many older residents for many years.
When completed, the structure will provide a 5 story elevator to service residents living in the former hotel area. There will also be a sky walk (shown in the picture to the right) for residents of the current 2-story building on the west end of the block.
For more information, continue reading the related article below.
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The story below posted on April 27.2010.
Ridgeway Loan & Financing Agreement Signed
The official loan and financing agreement providing for funding of the Ridgeway Hotel housing project was signed last week, at the office of the Arkansas Development Financing Authority, in Little Rock.
The Ridgeway Hotel project had been approved by the ADFA to receive an estimated $5.4 million in funding, through different types of funding sources.
Shown with MEDC president Benji Ryburn, are representatives from ADFA and Neighborhood Builders development group. Also attending the closing were MEDC director Truman Hamilton, and Monticello Mayor Joe Rogers.
The Ridgeway will be operated by Ridgeway Monticello, LP, a subsidiary of the MEDC.
“The Ridgeway” was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in February.
The Ridgeway Hotel Historic District at 200-206 E. Gaines St. features three buildings constructed between 1912 and 1958.
“The Ridgeway Hotel, the Building at 202 East Gaines Street (Pool Hall) and the H. M. Wilson Building, collectively known as the RidgewayHotel Historic District, are significant for the district’s association with the commercial development of Monticello during the Great Depression,” the National Register nomination says. “The historic district is also a fine collection of early 20thCentury commercial buildings with Mediterranean, Italianate and Classical architectural influences.”
The Ridgeway Project when completed, will provide 32 convenient housing units for elderly residents.
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This is great news for those of us who love old buildings and appreciate their restoration. It does seem kind of an excessive use of government money as each unit will have a value in excess of $150,000 and that is a lot of money for housing for the elderly. Hopefully, I’ll still be in Monticello to see the buildings once they are restored.
I am so impressed. This is a great example of dynamic forward thinking.
Instead of letting the Ridgeway rot to the ground to forever be forgotten, we are now going to have a marvelous asset for the community while keeping in touch with our history. I have fond memories of peeking into the lobby when I was a child.
The funds are being used in Monticello instead of disappearing into the abyss. Thank you to all who are working to see this become a reality.
I think it is a creative solution to a eyesore. and possibly a good idea for the future. After all we are not getting any younger.
I also think since this was brought to us by the same people who built the empty industrial building, we should be concerned.
i think its like sinking money in a modern day titanic, how bout fixin the other eye sores on the square first, like the traffic lights, and the half fallen building.
32 Divided into $5.4 million = $168,000 per unit. That would build a dandy 3 or 4 bedroom house on a single level for an elderly tenant!
Is anyone in city government prepared to answer the question…will there be a ladder tall enough to evacuate the senior citizens caught inside during a fire?
Please name the members of the Neighborhood Improvement Group?
id like to know just how many jobs did this create for drew county citizens being this is a company out of little rock. if i was a betting man id say none. i havent seen anyone i know or reconize working there yet
the town square sure needs some improvements on the south side of the square–wonder what out of towners think when they drive into town & see a building being held together with what looks like duct tape–the building that fell down on main street still has had nothing done to it. then there’s the car junk yard on Gabbert St that should be torn down & moved out. I’m not surprized that we have no industry wanting to locate in an area that looks so bad. Since there seems to be no zoneing laws I guess anything goes in town. there are a lot of empty buildings in town that are an eyesore.
Can’t please everyone but I see these other low income houseing around here were nice and now dumps.Hope this doesn’t turn that way.Gives us a chance to see what the new mayor does..He seems to just care about freeways.oh well we’ll see how it gos but the new mayor loves him some extra tax money beware our taxes are going up when he hits that office so we can THANK who ever voted for him without looking into his past work. JMO
This is in response to the comment by curious.. who wrote
“Curious says:
July 28, 2010 at 1:59 pm
Is anyone in city government prepared to answer the question…will there be a ladder tall enough to evacuate the senior citizens caught inside during a fire?”……
In fact the city of Monticello has a ladder truck tall enough to rescue these victims. Sadly though, the truck sits OUTSIDE at station 2 because the city doesn’t have a fire station big enough to house it. The ladder has probably rusted so bad it will not be usable in case of a fire. Just another reason the city council needs to get of their butts and build a fire station on the land that was purchased for that reason in 2001. If the ground isn’t broken for a new fire station before December 31st, I am sure it will never materialize and if the ground is broken before then, I am sure you will see an injunction filled to stop it. Small town politics at it’s best.
It is true that the city has a ladder truck parked outside at Station 2. It will certainly come in handy in case of a fire at the Ridgeway — or any number of other buildings in town. However, the majority of rescues are not made by ladders, but by firefighters who climb the interior stairs and lead people out to safety.
Also, I’m not sure how many modifications they are making to the building, but the Ridgeway was originally touted as being “fireproof” when it was first built. We all know now that no such building can exist. Anything can burn. However, the design was such that fires would be contained to the apartment where it started.
Lastly, unless someone in government has waived the requirement, I believe the state fire code requires sprinklers in multi-story apartment buildings. There have been very few fatalities ever in fires that occur in buildings with sprinklers and most fires are quickly extinguished. I would hope that would be the case with the Ridgeway.
I worried when I saw the stars pulled out. I’m glad they’re going to be reinstalled.
I am so proud of Monticello for their effort to restore this great landmark!
Thank you for the update, Joe. I drive by the site every day and wonder what the status is. Now I know!
I’m very thankful that the Ole Ridgeway is being renovated and we are cleaning up our town, however it seems that all the construction material and labor used is from outside of Monticello. Local suppliers were not given an opportunity to quote any material used in this project. Every day I see loads of material being trucked in from all over the state but none from Monticello. Local businesses should have been given first consideration in every aspect. This easily could have been written into the contract. Was this project ever put out for public bid? Looks like this job slipped in under the radar. No Monticellonian
benefits from this project except the new tenants.
I like it hope I get to live there someday