Plans unveiled for former Howard Johnson

A six-story, mixed-use Class A office building will replace the former Howard Johnson hotel on the east edge of downtown Davenport.

The Downtown Davenport Partnership announced Friday it has selected a development team made up of Bush Construction, NAI Ruhl Commercial Co., attorney John Carroll and BLDD Architects to pursue the demolition and redevelopment of the hotel at 227 LeClaire St.

The $25 million proposed development, known as Riverwatch Place, will include first-floor commercial/retail use and restaurant space reminiscent of the former Davenport Club,once located in the Hotel Blackhawk,with river views on the top floor. The 60,000-square-feet structure will feature outdoor vista points on each floor with a large outdoor dining area.

"The Riverwatch Place proposal is exactly what we were looking for," said Kyle Carter, the partnership's executive director. "Completing this proposal would not only result in the demolition of an eyesore, but it would also mean a major a new construction project that adds to the Davenport skyline and provides a welcoming entrance to a significant downtown gateway."

The downtown partnership and Demolition Davenport announced in July that a Class A office complex was the desired development for the 1964-built hotel. There were multiple developers interested in redeveloping the site. The hotel originally was the Clayton House.

"The site offers extraordinary river views and is positioned prominently on the main entry-point to downtown Davenport. Our mission is to deliver a trophy property worthy of the site, John Ruhl, president of Ruhl Commercial, said in a news release. "The next phase of the significant investment efforts in the downtown is an offering of true Class A office space and restaurant space capitalizing on views of the Mississippi River."

The ownership/development team will be expanded to include additional local investors, Ruhl said. There also is plenty of interest from prospective tenants.

There are several interested parties and conversations going on. We have strong tenant interest, he said. The commercial space on the first floor is designed for a bank and drive-through restaurant, likely a coffee or limited-service restaurant.

This is definitely the largest project I have been involved with in terms of size and the cost. I am excited about the project. It is great to see more good things happening downtown.

The development team will enter into an agreement with the partnership and its nonprofit partner, Demolition Davenport, to execute the project. Demolition isexpected to begin by year end.

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Plans unveiled for former Howard Johnson