The developers of the Empire Hotel show the process in detail with the business leaders
Published on Sunday, October 23, 2022 at 12:00 am
SALISBURY – More than 120 business leaders attended the Rowan Chamber’s Power In Partnership breakfast Thursday morning to hear Josh Barnhart and Brett Kruger speak about the Empire Hotel property redevelopment. The event was held at Trinity Oaks and sponsored by Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.
“The feedback we got from their presentation was great,” said Chamber President Elaine Spalding. “Empire Hotel One of the hotel’s rooms was completely renovated during the recent Historic Salisbury Houses Tour. They also produced a pilot television program for HGTV.
Downtown Salisbury Inc. (DSI) executive director Sada Troutman, who introduced Barnhardt and Krueger, said she sees them through her window every week as they meet with investors. DSI owns the Empire Hotel and has a task force working on the transition to developers.
Barnhardt and Krueger shared details of the Empire Hotel redevelopment. When completed, the property will include a boutique hotel with 25 luxurious historic rooms. The original 1906 Grand Ballroom has been fully restored with seating for 200 guests. 38 apartments; full-service spa and gym; Fine dining restaurant/bar area; And, four to six retail spaces on the first floor. Their timeline calls for the plans to be completed in the second quarter of 2023. Construction will begin soon and will take approximately 24 months.
“Please bear with us. We want to return everything to its original historical details. As you know with historic preservation, it takes some time to peel back decades of neglect and previous renovation projects,” Kruger said.
“Our team is passionate about this community and we want you to be proud of the Empire Hotel again,” said Barnhardt. He listed The Sherbert Group in Charlotte and Rowan County native Eddie Belk with Belk Architecture as other partners on the project.
Krueger has more than 25 years of construction and development experience with signature projects such as the Ivey Hotel in Charlotte and the Windsor Hotel in Asheville.
Being a second-generation developer and having a strong prior track record in real estate sales gave him the experience to start his own company, Corinthian Development. He excelled as one of the top builders and developers in the market, producing over $70 million worth of homes and developments. Along with more than a dozen developments, Krueger has directly developed properties from Charlotte, Lake Norman and Banner Elk.
Barnhardt grew up in Salisbury, where he developed a fascination for history and old buildings. His mother, Debbie Barnhardt Basinger, owns Barnhardt Jewelers in Salisbury.
Coming from a family of entrepreneurs and construction tradesmen, he learned the value of hard work at an early age. After living in historic neighborhoods in New York City, Charleston and Charlotte, he has a passion for creating unique downtown living spaces. His 20-year career includes global technology consulting with IBM, growing a London-based startup, and leadership positions with Bank of America and Wells Fargo before founding Iron Horse Development. He has a BA and MBA from UNC Chapel Hill.
The Chamber’s next PIP Breakfast will be on November 17 with a talk by Sue Kelly, Executive Director of Hotwire. For more information, contact the Rowan Chamber at (704) 633-4221 or info@rowanchamber.com or www.rowanchamber.com.
