By Tom Weber, KWMU
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kwmu/local-kwmu-650308.mp3
St. Louis, MO – Construction will begin soon on the first hotel in the Delmar Loop, after developer Joe Edwards finalized the deal Thursday.
The $23 million hotel is by far Edwards' most expensive project ever. He also owns Blueberry Hill, the Tivoli Theatre, and a number of other buildings along the Loop.
The seven-story boutique hotel will not be part of any chain and will be a few doors down from the Pageant, where a shuttered funeral home now stands.
Edwards calls it a huge boost for the area's revitalization.
"The second-most frequently-asked question at the Pageant, after who's playing on a certain night' or who's coming up,' is where is the closest hotel?'" Edwards said, in an interview. "And there is no hotel within walking distance and maybe we're losing some visitors because of that."
Edwards says he hopes the Moon Rise Hotel, as it will be called, will open in early 2009.