Hotel opening is good for Lorain

The opening of the Ariel on Broadway hotel and event complex March 6 marked yet another positive milestone for Lorain.

Ariel on Broadway is a new spark in the continuing rebirth of downtown Lorain, which we had wanted to see for several years.

The partners of Ariel Ventures LLC welcomed local, state and federal officials for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony March 2 on the fourthfloor of the hotel.

The 56-room hotel already has hosted various public gatherings.

During the ribbon-cutting, developer Radhika Reddy was flanked by her business partners, Irene Zawadiwsky, Lynn Selzer and Annette Stevenson, with representatives from about two dozen other groups that contributed to the project.

Reddy said it’s wonderful to be part of this catalytic transformation because it gives them joy.

It also gave us joy because the hotel is a key component in the transformation of the International City.

Reddy and her team’s main business is accounting and finance, but they’ve used the equity that they built to make a difference.

The group likes to go into urban and low-income areas where no one else will invest.

With their expertise to develop the public-private partnerships for projects, they revive areas.

This was kind of a passion and a hobby for them because they love to see transformation of urban areas.

Reddy credited the helpers and said it showed how much is needed to make the renovations happen.

But it’s not just a hotel; it’s a center, a hub.

Several tenants are in the building, including Lolipop’s Gift Shop; Dodie’s Dockside Restaurant, which will serve Italian and seafood; Game On Lorain sports bar; a bakery called Cakes By The Lake; Faroh’s Candies and Gifts; an I.T. company; Zelek Flower Shop; Lorain Growth Corp.; and Main Street Lorain.

And these businesses are creating jobs for Lorain residents.

Reddy invited U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to the ceremony because he has been a champion for federal tax credits for the hotel, as well as fighting for job creation and help for low-income people.

Brown said the building was the site of the 50th wedding anniversary celebration for his parents in 1996.

He called Reddy a pioneer and thanked her for helping to bring back Lorain and making such a difference.

But if it weren’t for Lorain Port Authority Executive Director Tom Brown, the project may not have happened.

He deserves a great deal of credit for helping to get this project started.

While in Cleveland on business in late 2017, Tom Brown pitched the project to Reddy, and thankfully, she accepted.

Tom Brown and Reddy credited former building owner Al Spitzer and Lorain attorney Anthony Giardini for their help donating the building for redevelopment.

Without that, nothing would have happened to the Broadway Building.

Tom Brown thanked the local elected officials, the Port board of directors and staff.

And he cited a Morning Journal editorial Aug. 28, 2016, about the potential of what the building could be.

But there were other editorials that supported the hotel renovation.

An editorial from Dec. 22, 2017, discussed Reddy wanting Ariel on Broadway to become a catalytic project that could transform Lorain.

We also said this hotel project was needed for downtown Lorain to emerge as a destination city.

Downtown Lorain is transforming and it’s evident with all of the new businesses, including restaurants.

And we can’t leave out music promoter Bob Earley, who also visioned an improved Lorain when he brought his summer weekly concert series to Black River Landing six years ago from Cuyahoga Falls.

Reddy thanked Lorain city and school officials for their help, including approval of tax abatements that will help the financing of the project.

Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley said city officials welcome everyone to visit the city and participate in the activities and be part of Lorain Proud.

Bradley also noted his first office was on the building’s third floor.

Cobblestone Hotels will operate the overnight lodging in the building.

Chemical Bank and National City Bank assisted, as did state workers who assisted with historic preservation and energy tax credits to finance the reconstruction.

Lorain County government, the Community Foundation of Lorain County and the Lorain Historical Society all contributed.

The history of Lorain appears on the walls of the hotel in the form of vintage photograph of city scenes.

Reddy thanked Lorain architect Gary Fischer for assistance with Ariel Ventures serving as general contractor — a move that saved the company an estimated $1 million.

Built after the Great Tornado of 1924, local historian George Siss said the Ariel on Broadway building is only the third to sit on a prominent site in Lorain.

Lorain’s transformation is in full throttle, and the newly renovated hotel is a key part of it.