Historic Empire Building could become boutique hotel

A business leader who supported reunification of Santa Rosa’s downtown square plans to buy one of the square’s most iconic structures – The Empire building.

Hugh Futrell, who transformed the long-vacant former AT&T building downtown into the new home of Luther Burbank Savings,says he expects to complete the purchase of the iconic, clock-topped, four-story edifice this month. He did not disclose the purchase price, but it’s below the most recent $2.6 million list price, said broker Paul Schwartz.

After two years on the market, interest in the 20,600-square-foot building at 37 Old Courthouse Square increased after work began on the city’s $9.2 million effort to reunify the two halves of Old Courthouse Square, Schwartz said.

Various reunification plans have been proposed and studied over the years, but the project only got traction last year after a group of downtown property owners and business leaders, Futrell included, pushed the city to act.

Futrell’s current plans call for transforming the building into a boutique hotel. That concept requires an extensive, multimillion dollar interior renovation. The ground floor would likely include a lobby and restaurant - and possibly a bar - while the upper three stories would be turned into no more than 40 hotel rooms, Futrell said. He stressed the hotel concept is merely the front-runner at the moment. He does not yet have a hotel partner, but said interest from hoteliers about the boutique hotel concept is high.

If that doesn’t work out, however, Futrell noted the building could still be renovated and new office or commercial tenants found. The only existing tenant of the building, constructed in 1908, is the Sonoma County Bar Association, on the first floor.

“It seemed obvious to us that it was an important building for the future of the downtown core,” Futrell said.

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