Saginaw Plaza Hotel Demolition

Demolition of the Saginaw Plaza Hotel. July 23, 2012.

History:

1979 - Construction begins on the eight-story, 177-room Radisson Inn Saginaw City officials believe the hotel, which will cost $5.8 million, is key to downtown revitalization.

1980 - The Radisson opens May 29. In news reports, hotel officials call the first six months “very tough.”

1982 - Radisson officials say operations will continue “as usual” even though the hotel defaults on a $143,000 interest payment on bonds issued to finance construction. A month later, the hotel files for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code.

1983 - Radisson occupancy rates increase by 20 percent over the previous year.

1985 - Richard and Florentine Van Tiem of Bloomfield Hills buy the Radisson for $3 million in May. They change the name to the Florentine Inn and plan to renovate the five-year-old hotel.

1987 - A concrete column dislodges from the roof and falls 80 feet onto the one-story section of the hotel, which houses the swimming pool. No one is injured.

1992 - News reports indicate the Van Tiems are trying to unload the struggling inn soon after city officials buy the International Centre from the couple for a lease-to-own agreement with Delta College.

1993 - MITC Inc., a nonprofit educational organization, signs a purchase agreement in October to buy the hotel from the Van Tiems. The hotel’s name changes to the Princess Inn.

1994 - Some Princess Inn employees quit, complaining that their paychecks bounce. Telephone service is temporarily shut off in November, causing some to speculate that the hotel will close. The hotel closes Dec. 12.

1995 - Through a court order, the Van Tiems regain possession of the hotel. They plan to renovate it and rename it the International Inn, but Richard Van Tiem dies in January. West Palm Beach, Fla.-based Servico Inc., which operates 55 hotels, in June begins negotiations to buy the hotel. A $2.6 million sale goes through in October, and the hotel becomes the Crowne Plaza.

1996 - Servico invests $3 million in renovations. With the backing of a major hotel chain, expectations run high in Saginaw. The Crowne Plaza formally opens in September.

1997 - Management features four men in the top position between the opening and August 1997. In February, the general manager admits the hotel is behind projected occupancy.

2000 - In October, Lodgian Inc., the Atlanta company that merged with Servico, returns the hotel keys to Florentine Van Tiem. She says she will keep the hotel open and retain most of the 60-worker staff. The new name is Saginaw Plaza Hotel.

2002 - The hotel operates on a limited basis. Saginaw native and longtime business and civic leader Norman C. Braddock announces he is buying it, but the deal falls through. Officials want to convert some rooms into suites for retirees and medical specialists on extended assignments, but the plan never materializes.

2003 - Entrepreneur Cindy Gerlachowski buys the Saginaw Plaza Hotel. The facility becomes Howard Johnson’s Plaza Hotel and Conference Center.

2004 - Gerlachowski says she may close or sell because a brawl in the Saginaw Centre parking lot in September led frightened guests to flee. Two months later, Gerlachowski gives up her stake and quits as general manager.

2005 - SNGC of Baton Rouge, La., forecloses on Grand Haven-based Saginaw Plaza Group. The hotel continues to operate through a receivership.

2006 - After a deal to buy the hotel falls through, the hotel closes in September. SNGC’s attorney says he doesn’t know if any guests had to cancel reservations.

2009 - The hotel re-opens when a Chicago-based investment team claimed to buy the property for $2.9 million. No records exist at the county showing that transaction. Saginaw County officials speculate the hotel’s ownership allowed a second group to manage the facility.

2010 - SNGC files a quit claim deed and transfers ownership to Eureka, Calif.-based Wachovia Bank National Association, which inherits $78,660.44 in unpaid property taxes. Officials say if the bank doesn’t pay, the hotel could face foreclosure in March 2012.

2011 - The hotel appears to change management again in March when Mike Esposito, the Saginaw Spirit’s general manager, reportedly begins overseeing operations.

1979 - 2012

SOURCES: Saginaw News archives, Saginaw County treasurer and register of deeds offices.

All information in this description is from mLive News Articles, credit is given where credit is due.

The Demolition process took two days, on July 23, and the 24th. Debris cleared up soon after, for the creation of a parking lot. Total cost about $1 Million.

Another Clip of the demolition by NBC 25 News -    • Demolition begins on Saginaw Plaza Hotel