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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Construction work is cranking up on another downtown Asheville hotel. The Asheville Foundry Inn/Curio Collection by Hilton will be a 92-room luxury hotel wrapping around the historic YMI Building at the corner of Eagle and Market streets. (The hotel will have access off both Eagle and Market.) The area is known as The Block, and was once the center of a thriving African-American business district.

The construction is part of an ongoing hotel-building boom that will see a projected 3,000 new hotel rooms open in Asheville over the time period of this year and the following two years. Here’s a quick recap of what’s happening downtown:

A new Hilton Garden Inn opened last month at the corner of Charlotte and College streets; a new Hyatt Place opened on Haywood Street; a new AC Hotel is going up at the corner of College and Broadway streets; the new Arras boutique hotel and condo project has geared up on Pack Square in the former BB&T building; and a new Cambria Hotel is under construction on Page Avenue.

There’s plenty more hotel action. A new Fairfield Inn & Suites in under construction on Tunnel Road, the first new construction there, while the old Blue Ridge Motor Lodge was recently renovated and rebranded The Beaucatcher. A new Holiday Inn is being built just off Hendersonville Road near Biltmore Village. And there’s still other hotels in the planning stages.

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Here’s more about the Asheville Foundry Inn:

Historically known as the Foundry Buildings, the three original, contiguous buildings to remain as part of the development are recognized as some of the most significant structures in Asheville. Much of the steel used in the construction of buildings in the Asheville area was formed and created at this site. Along with two newer buildings on the site, The Foundry Inn will be comprised of these five connected buildings including a 100-seat restaurant, 3,500 square foot lounge with a library and fireplaces, 3,600 square foot luxury spa and fitness center, and about 3,000 square feet of functional meeting and event space.

Guestrooms will be comfortably designed and will give the guest multiple room types that are unique to exciting historic properties. …

Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church sold its three properties on the site to Encore for $3.5 million as part of an effort to revitalize the neighborhood. The hotel will adjoin the historic Young Men’s Institute (YMI), a structure that was designed and built by the same tradesmen that built the Biltmore Estate. The YMI building dates back to 1894 and was the social gathering place for the skilled laborers that worked for years constructing George Vanderbilt’s Biltmore Estates.

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Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

  • 1

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4 Comments

  1. Helen October 16, 2016

    Actually all three projects are starting up. The Foundry, the luxury apartments adjacent, and the Eagle Street affordable housing project that is having a re-do!

    Reply
  2. Chris Power October 10, 2016

    Nice to see these old buildings set to be renovated. I do question the need for yet another hotel project in downtown. Downtown to stay vibrant needs more housing (condos, apartments, and town homes) – in particular affordable housing. It is hard to find anyone on the service industry downtown that actually lives there anymore. Just not much available and affordable.

    Reply
  3. Barry Summers October 10, 2016

    And it’s great there’s finally going to be a new hotel in town.

    Reply
  4. Jason October 10, 2016

    This is great news! I’m happy to see that area finally starting to be revitalized.

    Reply

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