Structural issues cause more construction delays at Keefer House

HILLSDALE — Efforts to revitalize the historic Keefer House Hotel in downtown Hillsdale came to an abrupt stop last week when support columns detached, raising safety concerns for crews working inside.

Brant Cohen, the senior development associate overseeing the project for CL Real Estate Development, said work was suspended to allow for additional shoring of the building’s front facade for permanent structural improvements to the 140-year-old building.

A speciality company was brought in to install temporary shoring visible on the front facade while permanent repair needs were assessed and implemented.

“Obviously, we will resume construction as soon as the shoring work is complete and we are assured the structural concern in this area is properly addressed,” said Nathan Watson, CEO of CL Real Estate Development.

Nick Fox, the vice president of construction management for CL Real Estate, said Wednesday that crews will resume work at the end of the week or the beginning of next week.

But, the shoring issue may have caused yet another delay to the hotel’s much anticipated grand re-opening.

Fox said the exact grand re-opening date is being revised with the additional delay to the construction schedule which is now being revised.

More: Community leaders tour Keefer House Hotel for renovations update

More: Frustrations mount over lack of progress at Keefer House Hotel

The city’s Tax Increment Finance Authority purchased the Dawn Theater and Keefer House Hotel years ago with the goal of redeveloping the once vacant properties in the interest of economic development in downtown Hillsdale.

Since then, the TIFA board has completed renovations of the Dawn Theater which has since reopened under management by CL Real Estate who purchased the historic Keefer House Hotel in 2017 with a grand vision to reenergize the property into a 34-room boutique hotel and place Hillsdale on the map as a destination site.

The Keefer House Hotel was initially anticipated to be open by November 2022 but issues with the global supply chain and inflation caused by COVID-19 delayed the grand re-opening.

During the demolition phase of redevelopment, contractors discovered a major issue with flooding in the basement and had to halt progress to dig more than a foot down into the subfloor, install sub pumps and fix plumbing issues before pouring an entirely new concrete floor throughout the building.

Existing wooden structural beams that were sagging had to be reinforced with parallel support steel to level out the upper floors.

Other delays were caused by the onset of COVID-19 and government mandated shutdowns which impacted the global supply chain and pursuing inflation further complicated matters.

The issues combined pushed the grand re-opening beyond November 2022 and CL Real Estate came under fire from the Hillsdale City Council and the public alike in 2023 due to a perceived lack of progress.

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Fox began providing monthly updates to the Hillsdale City Council and provided them tours this spring to observe renovations first hand.

Ideally, once the hotel is opened again, the company will work to pair entertainment at the Dawn Theater with hotel accommodations at the Keefer House Hotel which will include a restaurant and 34 rooms for guests as well as two new retail spaces.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer made a surprise visit to Hillsdale in the fall of 2021 to tour the Keefer House Hotel with CL Real Estate and city officials involved in the project.

— Contact Reporter Corey Murray at cmurray@hillsdale.net or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @cmurrayHDN.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Construction halted at Keefer House with additional structural issues