Historic High Rise Rebirth Planned
18 August 1994, Montgomery Advertiser

Restoration: A Greenville man plans to restore the Frank Leu building to its former glory

By Anne Sclatter
ADVERTISER STAFF WRITER

While a new hotel goes up in downtown Montgomery, an old one nearby is getting a new lease on life.

Once a bustling, high-rise hotel and one of the tallest towers in the Capital City's skyline, the Frank Leu building now sits empty at the corner of Bibb and Commerce streets, awaiting renovation by Greenville businessman Tony Lessa. Mr. Lessa is in the process of buying the building and plans to "bring back the grandeur" of turn-of-the-century Montgomery.

Working from a picture postcard he found at a gun show, Mr. Lessa plans to restore the atrium that once soared through the first and second floors of what was then the Gay-Teague Hotel. The a wide-open space, framed with crown molding, has long since fallen victim to subdividing walls, dropped ceilings and modern lighting.

Mr. Lessa said he hopes the renovated atrium will become a tourist attraction for historical architecture buffs, and it might eventually house a small museum or library.

Also planned for the ground floor are several stores, part of what Mr. Lessa hopes will be a revitalization of downtown shopping and restaurants.

Mr. Lessa said he likely will complete renovations on the ground-floor shops first so the money from their rent can help pay the mortgage on the building. If all goes according to schedule, they would be open for business next spring or summer.

Before anyone can use the building, it must be renovated to meet the city's high-rise code. The inside of the building was constructed of clay tile to be fireproof, but it needs new stairways and elevators and a host of other interior adjustments to meet city specifications, Mr. Lessa said.

But before any construction can start the building needs a good cleaning, and Mr. Lessa has a built-in work force in the Riverwalk Youth Program, an employment project for low-income Montgomery youths which he founded.

A handful of older Riverwalk participants have been busy sweeping away layers of dust, cleaning up the shards of glass left from windows broken by vandals and carting off trashy remnants of squatters who have spent nights sleeping in the abandoned hallways and offices.

Preserving a bygone era is a lofty goal, but it doesn't come without a price tag. The first phase of the project - the atrium and shops - likely will cost several hundred thousand dollars, Mr. Lessa said. Some money will come from his own pocket, and more, he hopes, from historic preservation grants or the checkbooks of interested investors.

To help make the renovation authentic, Mr. Lessa said he plans to get in touch with the New York architecture firm that designed the building to see if any of the original plans are available. Pictures and detailed descriptions of the building have been scarce, Mr. Lessa said. He and his young helpers have had to rely on imagination and a good eye for detail to discover features like the atrium, which now is divided into two floors.

If the first phase of renovation is successful, Mr. Lessa would begin refurbishing the top floor, which he said was Montgomery's original space for conventions and meetings. As interest in the downtown area grows, so could the renovation project, eventually encompassing all 10 floors of the building, he said.

"It has to work in conjunction with other development downtown," Mr. Lessa said. "The idea is that you create some positive interest. We're planning to be part of the impetus to bring (people) downtown."

Return to:  Frank Leu Building Project