Inn is nearly out as Bristol condos close to go-ahead

<b>Rendering courtesy of Newport Collaborative Architects</b><br>The old Harriet Bradford Inn in downtown Bristol on Hope Street is slated to become condo units and commercial space, as shown in this artist's rendering. The town's zoning board approved the project last month but some details still need to be ironed out.
Rendering courtesy of Newport Collaborative Architects
The old Harriet Bradford Inn in downtown Bristol on Hope Street is slated to become condo units and commercial space, as shown in this artist's rendering. The town's zoning board approved the project last month but some details still need to be ironed out.

A decade-long effort to restore Bristol’s dilapidated Harriet Bradford Inn appears to be finally coming to fruition, with plans to convert the hotel into condominiums now approved by the Zoning Board of Review, and construction expected to begin later this year.

Built in 1902 by the Herreshoff family as lodgings for prospective boat buyers, the hotel once known as the Belvedere had declined into a flophouse, an eyesore in the heart of the town and a gathering spot for newly released prison inmates and other unwanted visitors.

The town had been pushing since the late 1990s to fix the Hope Street property, and developer Ted Barrows, who bought the building in 1997, had a plan and a partnership to make it happen. His goal was to turn the Harriet Bradford Inn into a 55-room high-end hotel.

The town supported the plan, but by the time all the approvals were in place, the economy had changed, said lawyer John Rego, who represents the partners. In addition, one of the partners died, further stalling the project. Barrows had to change his plans.

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“It no longer was actually feasible to do a hotel,” Rego said. “Even in 1999 it was marginal at best, because you need to have at least 60 rooms to make it work.”

So instead of a hotel, the developers decided to turn the Harriet Bradford Inn into a luxury condominium complex. Barrows brought in the Center Development Corp., a New York company that specializes in such projects. And while the original plans hadn’t included parking, further land acquisitions provided enough space for at least 43 cars, Rego said.

Altogether, the project now includes the old hotel building on Hope Street, a carriage house behind it that faces Thames Street, a house on John Street, and land in between that used to be industrial buildings. The majority of the planned development is rehabilitation of existing structures, but there would also be some new construction, including a new parking deck.

Before the project could move forward, however, it was delayed yet again when, last April, Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Procaccini ruled that the developers had to honor a local businessman’s right of first refusal on the carriage house and an adjacent parking lot.

The group ultimately resolved its differences with Joseph Brito by bringing him in as a partner in the Belvedere project. Rego said they’re still working out the details of the agreement, but in the meantime, the approval process resumed.

And finally, late last month, the Bristol Zoning Board of Review OK’d the plans, with some modifications. There are to be 14 condo units in the hotel building proper, plus about 2,800 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, Rego said. The carriage house will be turned into another two condos, and 15 John St. will also be turned into two condos.

The project will also include new construction off Thames Street, including six more condo units and just under 2,000 square feet of commercial space, Rego said.

“It will be a very attractive complex,” Rego said. Because the hotel is an historic property, the developers still need to get approval for some of the details of the design, he said, so there is still “several months’ work” to do, but the biggest hurdle has been overcome.

Bill Hubbard, president of Center Development, said the hotel and John Street rehabilitations will cost an estimated $12 million. The Thames Street part of the project has not been costed out thoroughly, he said, but it’s expected to cost about $3 million.

If all the permits can be obtained, Hubbard said, construction could start in mid to late summer, and continue for 12 to 15 months. Because most of the work is interior, it can continue through the winter, Hubbard said.

The developers won’t have to start from scratch. The hotel’s old balcony was torn down almost two years ago, and Rego said the interior is “pretty much gutted out,” and most of the asbestos in the building has already been removed.

Rego said the developers are “very, very anxious” to get started. So are town officials.

“This has been a very, very high priority for the town, and we’re really pleased that it’s moving forward,” said Town Planner Diane Williamson. Concern about the dilapidated hotel had been “off the charts,” she said, and the condo plans are a welcome improvement.

“Certainly the condominiums will really add to the vitality of the downtown,” she said. “We’ll have more people living downtown, which is a good thing.”

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