Historic Rawls
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| Historic Enterprise building undergoes facelift |
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September 24, 2009
By Melissa Braun
Ronda Tucker, director of executive services, said the decision to renovate the historic building was made after NDGI founders Al Patterson and Keith Gay identified a need for modern-day upgrades to the building.
“They decided it was time to give the Rawls a much-needed facelift,” Tucker explained. “The building has been registered on the National Register of Historic Places since 1980 so a lot of work was done before any changes were made.”
Tucker learned that though the Rawls is a registered historic building, “as long you don’t change the outside integrity of the building” you can do any renovations you wish.
Soon thereafter, the renovations began.
The Rawls Hotel throughout history and even today has been the site of social functions ranging from balls to conferences. But, for example, with a mere two bathroom facilities on the bottom floor, the historic setting was beginning to prove somewhat inconvenient for today’s functions.
Taking unused space in the hotel and employing contractors who were able to take original materials from the building such as rare teak wood to recreate the historic feel of the building, two spacious, luxury restrooms were installed.
Following in the footsteps of Hayden Pursley, who purchased and saved the hotel from disrepair in the 1970s, Gay and Patterson also used the renovation momentum to address needs of the building’s more social settings, the Rawls Restaurant and Hayden’s Pub, said Tucker.
From replacing the lighting fixtures in the main dining room to a complete renovation of the restaurant’s private dining facilities including the Crown Room, Tucker said luxury was addressed but not at the expense of the hotel’s classic feel.
Each of the restaurant’s dining rooms, three of which are private, all feature original materials from the hotel while it was in its prime.
Upgrades such as the installation of new carpeting were also made to the Bed and Breakfast, which is located on the bottom floor of one of the hotel’s wings and contains four individually themed guest rooms.
Patterson and Gay recognized the bottom floor of the building, even after the upgrades, had plentiful unused space.
Employing approximately 25 workers, they continued their upgrade efforts by using space to create an additional office for the business and a large conference room.
“The office was needed as a way to monitor foot traffic on the bottom floor and keep traffic out of the second floor area. It was also needed to keep the noise level down,” Tucker said. “Nav Tech LLC also needed the conference space.”
In the creation of the rooms, she explained, Gay and Patterson did not want to address the business needs alone. Each room, like the other renovations, must maintain the historic and aesthetic appeal that is the foundation for the Rawls’ popularity.
Despite all the renovations that have been done on the historic building, Tucker said the project is not yet complete.
Utilizing alley space and space left following the demolition of an older storage shed, upgrades to the Rawls will soon include the creation of eight to 10 additional parking spaces, Tucker explained.
A swift renovation will also soon be under way for Hayden’s Tavern.
“We will hire a full crew of contractors in an effort to not disturb the tavern’s business,” she said.
All renovation is expected to be complete within the next few months.
“We are doing our part to beautify the city and make Enterprise a destination location,” Tucker said. “While doing that, we are also keeping several skilled workers employed in the midst of tough economic times.”
Pictured, one of the three restaurant’s private dining facilities after a complete renovation. (Photo by Laura Fezie)
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