The historic Ameritrust Tower, empty for nearly two decades and headed for demolition not long ago, may yet be brought back to life. The Lake County developer K&D Group presented its revised financial and architectural designs plan for the 29 story building to the county's design review board and Cleveland's planning commission.
CEO Doug Price detailed what changes and improvements will be made to the city block between Euclid Avenue and Huron Road, along East Ninth street.
He says the reception was strong from the committee, as it has been from the community.
PRICE:"We have (an) unbelievable amount of support from prominent Cleveland families that want to invest in the project, be part of the project. There's just a real feeling with this project that it's going to be something special."
K&D Group bought the tower, designed by renowned architect Marcel Breuer, from the county earlier this year, for 35 million dollars.
Price says even if securing the necessary backing takes longer than expected, he is convinced that city requirements will be met by year's end, with construction then set to begin in the early months of 2009.
New to the plan is the inclusion of the architectural firm Westlake Reed Leskosky, the project designer, as a tenant in the building sometime in 2011, a year after the Hotel Indigo is slated to open on the lower floors.
Rick Jackson - 90.3.
