– ROGER HILL , CO-FOUNDER |
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AND EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN OF |
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THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS , THE |
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GETTYS GROUP COMPANIES |
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converted . The kicker , though , is that to take advantage of those tax credits , “ You ’ re going to need to preserve that beautiful terrazzo marble or the beautiful facade , moldings , et cetera ,” Hill said . “ Hopefully , you wanted to do this already , even without the governmental incentive .”
Farther west , in Omaha , Neb ., Gettys converted an
Dynamite Restaurant at The Farnam , Autograph Collection , in Omaha , Neb . Photo credit : Eddie Harper
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office building into what Hill described as a “ thriving mixeduse hub for the neighborhood ,” with a boutique hotel and restaurant at the center .
An interesting fact about the Hotel Farnam is that the building went from being 100 % office use to being both an office building and a hotel , “ one of the top-performing hotels in
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Omaha ,” according to Hill . This hybrid approach is proving to be a more effective use of the space than pushing against market forces to keep the building 100 % occupied by offices . “ Plus , now , you ’ ve created more value for the remaining office space and its occupants , because the hotel can be used both as a place for outside visitors to stay |
and for the neighboring office occupants to meet , eat and more ,” he said .
One of Gettys ’ most celebrated projects , and one close to Hill ’ s heart , is the conversion of Chicago ’ s iconic Tribune Tower , the former home of The Chicago Tribune . The trademark gothic lettering was retained , but this unmistakable mark of the Chicago skyline has now been converted to ultra-luxury residences . “ In essence , we designed 161 unique homes , all within the Tribune Tower , sharing nearly 60,000 square feet of amenity space that is essentially hotel-like ,” Hill said .
The Gettys Group was responsible for all interior design , branding and procurement involved in this conversion . “ Obviously , you don ’ t get a chance every day to be involved in preserving a building so integral to a great city ’ s skyline and its civic identity . It ’ s one of the projects we ’ re most proud of .”
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70 hotelsmag . com Jan September / Feb 2024 2023 |