Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – If you want to buy a hotel – a really tall one – you’re in luck. Springfield’s troubled Wyndham is for sale. It’s been boarded up since significant interior damage occurred. Vandalism is suspected in the disabling of the elevator system and in water damage in much of the tower.
“The big question mark is how the Wyndham going up for sale will affect the potential redevelopment and expansion of the BOS Center,” said Michelle Ownbey, executive editor of the Springfield Business Journal. “That did not pass the legislature before the session ended, but my understanding is they are going to be taking another look at it in the fall.
“If I was trying to recruit a developer to come in and build a brand new hotel, they may not want competition right next door, so they are going to want to know a little bit more about the future of the Wyndham before they make a multi-million-dollar commitment.”
On another subject, Ownbey said Aunt Lou’s Soul Food is departing downtown Springfield in favor of Town and Country Shopping Center. The restaurant will open later this month or in early September in the former Fraternal Order of Eagles space.
Ownbey talks business Thursday mornings on the WTAX Morning Newswatch.
