Ground was officially broken on a new Hampton Inn in downtown Escanaba.
Developers and community leaders gathered Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony at the former Delta County Jail site on North Third Street, where the four-story waterfront hotel will be built.
Jared Drown with Terrace Bay Hotel LLC says the property is getting a new purpose.
"This was an old jail, and it was a very underutilized property in downtown Escanaba. The city and the county had a vision to work together, combine the parcels and put this up to bid for commercial development. We are grateful they chose us and that we can bring a Hilton-branded property to downtown Escanaba," Drown said.
The 15-point-5-million-dollar project is being developed by the owners of the Terrace Bay Hotel, with Moyle Construction serving as the contractor and Upper Peninsula State Bank providing local financing.
Drown says the Hampton Inn will feature 93 rooms, an indoor pool, fitness center and outdoor patio overlooking Little Bay de Noc.
"It is going to bring 45-thousand guests per year all the way through the downtown to stop in the shops and to eat in the restaurants. It will have a huge impact overall in Escanaba, for the local economy and for the hospitality jobs that it will bring to the area," Drown said.
Drown's business partner, Rick Elrod, said downtown Escanaba is the perferct spot to build a new hotel. He said the downtown has a lot of potential.
"It's a beautiful waterfront community and I think there are a lot of opportunities here," said Elrod. "You may take it for granted if you have lived here your whole life but we tend to have a different perspective on what the area has to offer, what similar communities have done and the potential that is here to keep growing."
The former Delta County Jail site was approved for sale in October 2022. Work needed to be completed on the property before construction could begin, including relocating the city's storm sewer lines.
"Had to have a few obstacles overcome first," Drown said. "The city of Escanaba was working on its downtown infrastructure project, and they were fortunately able to get that finished up this year. That really opened the door for us to start this project and to be open by 2028."
The hotel is expected to open in February 2028. Developers project it will create about 30 permanent hospitality jobs and generate about one-point-two million dollars in annual payroll.
