Updates on Landmark Hotel Construction Halt

Landmark Hotel Charlottesville Halsey Minor

Picture of the Landmark Hotel from Blanco Nino

If you recall, we asked some real journalists to investigate the whole story about the construction halt and lack of financing for the Landmark Hotel.  Thanks to a real journalist at the Daily Progress (his name is Brian McNeill), we have an update!  It gets messy…

Here is what we learn:

  • The Bank which Halsey Minor said stopped payment is named Silverton Bank. While they didn’t comment specifically on the Landmark Hotel loan, they did give some standard PR bullshit to the Daily Progress which explains nothing about the situation.
  • It seems as though Lee Danielson, the project’s developer and Halsey Minor are having a gentlemen’s fight.  The bitchslapping words from Danielson “Google him,” and “He’s not a real estate guy.”  OH SNAP.  Minor didn’t really bitchslap, but he did respond with a “I’m not the one paying now” and a “If Lee Danielson can figure out a way to keep the project going on Monday, he’ll be the world’s best developer.” What kind of fight is that?
  • The construction company involved declined to comment.
  • Pretty much no one is talking about details.
  • The story makes absolutely no sense; we still know nothing.

Old picture:

Landmark Hotel Charlottesville Halsey Minor

Related posts:

  1. Bank Stops Lending to Landmark Hotel Project; Construction Halted
  2. Danielson No Longer Landmark Developer
  3. The Landmark Hotel Is “About the Community”
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57 Responses to “Updates on Landmark Hotel Construction Halt”

  1. 13 Nov 2008 at 9:49 am
    Hawkins said:

    Cool picture. But I worry that it’s a ’shop.

  2. 13 Nov 2008 at 9:55 am
    orchid said:

    that rooftop bar doesn’t look very much like it’s on top of the roof. i’m disappointed.

  3. 13 Nov 2008 at 9:58 am
    Thor said:

    picture is totally real.

  4. 13 Nov 2008 at 10:21 am
    Blanco Nino said:
  5. 13 Nov 2008 at 10:30 am
    Floozy said:

    I feel bad for the construction workers. Still, I guess they can go and get a job with Church Hill. Wait, what?

  6. 13 Nov 2008 at 10:37 am
    dieter said:

    @4Great photo! I did not know it was going to be a Red Roof Inn

    But where will all the cars park once the box opens as the new rooftop bar?

  7. 13 Nov 2008 at 11:00 am
    otterdung said:

    i think the sainted Olly Kuettner bought it from Lee Danielson for X million,
    then HM bought it from Kuettner for X million plus 2 more? hard to unravel this stuff on google.

    poor construction workers, yes. and poor suppliers of materials, also no-doubt unpaid.

    now that a lawsuit is filed, freezing all debt-obligations until settlement a year or so away,
    workers and suppliers will have more free-time to leisurely ponder themselves into
    the same slavish defensiveness and lavish adoration of HM that you all have.

  8. 13 Nov 2008 at 11:10 am
    Blanco Nino said:

    @6 – i believe there’s free parking across the board from the hotel :-)

  9. 13 Nov 2008 at 11:20 am
    WizardSleeve said:

    No surprise in this economy… I always thought it was a bit of a weird place to put anohter hotel, siing that the Omni is just down the way…

  10. 13 Nov 2008 at 11:20 am
    WizardSleeve said:

    Grarrrrgh!

    anohter = another

    siing = seeing

  11. 13 Nov 2008 at 11:43 am
    otterdung said:

    @9
    HM might be cleverer than we know:
    OMNI has only four rooms left on friday, eleven left on saturday.

  12. 13 Nov 2008 at 12:20 pm
    danpri said:

    Agreed on HM. His comment either pricks Danielsons pride and gets the project going, or he looks like he knows what he is talking about.

  13. 13 Nov 2008 at 1:18 pm
    otterdung said:

    @12
    i agree, danpri—i think he’ll pull this one off. the lawsuit gets his debtors off his back, the comments-to-the-press get Danielson going probably to the extent of coughing up money of his own to cover project deficits
    in the short-term, and then eventually that bank will lower interest or another will swoop in to save the day
    with even more advantageous terms.

    the guy MAY BE (yet to be proven) sortof slimy and sortof a ’sharp’ in business,
    and VERY unVirginian,
    but he’s successful at it—
    looks like he’ll get his paintings and his hotel at about half of what he ‘paid’ for each.

  14. 13 Nov 2008 at 1:43 pm
    Thurston622 said:

    Can I park there yet?

  15. 13 Nov 2008 at 1:50 pm
    otterdung said:

    @14
    i think there’s a parking lot across the street from it—but i wouldn’t leave any valuables in your car—
    on the site are 150 construction-workers with crowbars who haven’t been paid by HM in three months,
    and Snooky’s Pawn Shoppe is just around the corner.

  16. 13 Nov 2008 at 3:12 pm
    orchid said:

    now there’s NO rooftop bar. boo!

  17. 13 Nov 2008 at 3:18 pm
    Thurston622 said:

    Gosh I’ve never seen 150 crowbar toting YMCA dancing and out of work construction workers in one place. Perhaps the currently out of work construction guys should get to work on some more of that ART IN PLACE stuff. I think it’s very smart to have art on the roads so that when we are driving and you aren’t fucking with your ipod, or texting you can have something to look at. While driving….

  18. 13 Nov 2008 at 3:32 pm
    echo said:

    @17: Do you feel the same way about billboards?

  19. 13 Nov 2008 at 3:36 pm
    otterdung said:

    @17
    you are such a good lad. thank you for reintroducing wit to the site.

    one assumes non-payment will mean that the BIGASS CRANE gets hauled out of there lickety-split.
    where will local stock-brokers go to suicide-jump now that their portfolios of CNET stocks are worthless?

  20. 13 Nov 2008 at 6:23 pm
    Thurston622 said:

    I don’t know how to read, so yes.

  21. 14 Nov 2008 at 12:19 am
    backup planet said:

    @19 – that’s the first thing I thought, what’s gonna happen to our big city/big ass crane – notsomuch worried about security in the water street garage. No problems ever, there. Except that one time when I misgaged the time and hadda go back the next morning to pick up my car…loser.

  22. 14 Nov 2008 at 11:56 am
    deepthroat said:

    This sounds a bit like what happened with the Omni financing. They had problems and the city loaned them the money.

  23. 14 Nov 2008 at 12:46 pm
    otterdung said:

    @22
    my impression also, and plausibly what the developers are angling for in this recent ballyhoo— a sortof local taxpayer bailout of the over-reaching developer. it certainly worked out great for the OMNI– endless-term loan at zero interest and significant increase in city taxes—gawd there was a flap about it in the papers when that all happened.

  24. 14 Nov 2008 at 1:04 pm
    colfer said:

    law changed. i think one developer is trying to snook the other one and blame the bank. people come up with all kinds of excises when it’s time to sign the check. just a guess.

  25. 14 Nov 2008 at 1:29 pm
    otterdung said:

    it will be fun to see how this all plays out. danielson has a nice temper, and HM has exhibited some snarkiness himself, though i think he needs some advice in public-image—he has the background to be a little smarter in his acidity of public-comment.

    seriously—
    anyone have an address for HM? I’m liking him more and more.
    i think i want to apply to be a speechwriter/spokesman for him.

  26. 14 Nov 2008 at 2:46 pm
    colfer said:

    didn’t all the contractors on the ice/movie have to sue Danielson to get paid? or was that bad journalism, another possibility.

  27. 14 Nov 2008 at 2:56 pm
    echo said:

    @26: THE CODE COLFER, THE CODE!!!

  28. 14 Nov 2008 at 2:57 pm
    Floozy said:

    @26 I agree echo that is outrageous…. someone sober up a moderator and get this sorted out once and for all.

  29. 14 Nov 2008 at 3:05 pm
    colfer said:

    Yeah, Ice is not a Villain. Now for your entertainment… and the Bard spawned worse I’m sure…
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnYAkvCpom0

  30. 14 Nov 2008 at 3:07 pm
    colfer said:

    The URL even looks like ‘porn0′.

  31. 18 Nov 2008 at 12:09 am
    philbert said:

    I was in Eppie’s for lunch today, sat up by the front window, and I swear to GOD that two cVillains (man, who eats at Eppie’s enough to have his own register button, and woman, very businesslike and in a hurry) were conversing in rather conspiratorial whispers about Mr. Minor and Mr. Danielson’s construction and financing snafu. I’d have dropped the bomb and revealed my identity as a nascent participant on here, but figured I’d rather be sneaky and post about it.

  32. 18 Nov 2008 at 12:20 am
    echo said:

    26 world, you need to read @31. I guess we’ll have to wait until Wednesday to have a Halsey free day.

  33. 18 Nov 2008 at 9:27 am
    shenanigans said:

    Dammit philbert!

  34. 18 Nov 2008 at 11:20 am
    26 world said:

    @32 I’ll hope for a Christmas miracle.

  35. 18 Nov 2008 at 4:35 pm
    otterdung said:

    oops. looks like someone got some shit in this week’s Cville.

  36. 18 Nov 2008 at 5:28 pm
    Floozy said:

    @35 I prefer Charmin but each to their own I guess…..we are in a recession after all.

  37. 18 Nov 2008 at 9:47 pm
    philbert said:

    @33 What did I do? ACK! I’m SORRY!

    …Wait. I think echo is helping me, here.

    *tents fingers*. Yessss.

  38. 18 Nov 2008 at 9:49 pm
    Floozy said:

    philbert… it’s simple….DON’T MENTION THE H WORD AFTER 12 MIDNIGHT OK?
    Thanks.

  39. 18 Nov 2008 at 10:18 pm
    philbert said:

    Gotcha. So… yeah. My bad.

  40. 19 Nov 2008 at 12:01 am
    Otterdung said:

    Halsey Minor

  41. 19 Nov 2008 at 9:30 am
    shenanigans said:

    @38: And whatever you do, don’t get it wet or feed it. HM will split into gremlins.

  42. 19 Nov 2008 at 9:34 am
    Floozy said:

    @41 That would be cool…. he could put them to work on the Landmark. Free labor.

  43. 19 Nov 2008 at 1:58 pm
    scoriole said:

    @42: but bad for machines. guess it would be back to hand tools…

  44. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:05 pm
    philbert said:

    @40 I didn’t say it!

    You know, I always wanted a pet gremlin. As a little child I thought their grotesque and evil countenances were cute. Like gerbils.

  45. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:13 pm
    Floozy said:

    Philbert…. welcome to the party.Except there isn’t one tonight. We’re all hating …gah.

  46. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:19 pm
    Tinkertoy said:

    I’ll second that gah, and add a blargh for good measure.

  47. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:32 pm
    Floozy said:

    I feel like we are at a party and there’s a fight in the kitchen so we are all hanging out in the room with all the coats on the bed. Anyone want to make out?….I bought all the booze in here with me.

  48. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:44 pm
    Tinkertoy said:

    Haha, glad you snagged the booze from the kitchen before the fit hit the shan

  49. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:55 pm
    Floozy said:

    Yeah…. however the reality is not so hot…. I’ve got half a bottle of 99 Bananas, a fifth of Creme de Menthe and a bottle of Baileys that smells a bit off. But hey, think of the kudos when you vom up all over the coats and it looks like the Mexican flag….. Let’s party!!!!!!!!

  50. 19 Nov 2008 at 10:55 pm
    orchid said:

    @47 this is like my housewarming party in ‘04 when my then-boyfriend’s ex wouldn’t shut up about politics and i ended up taking my strawberry daiquiri (and the pitcher with the rest of them) and sitting on the bus bench outside until everyone finally left.

    /glad i downloaded my new cds this afternoon……

  51. 19 Nov 2008 at 11:01 pm
    Tinkertoy said:

    @49 Oh my god, that sounds like one of the worst combinations you could be stuck with. Right up there with some little corn whiskey that has the consistency of light crude.

  52. 19 Nov 2008 at 11:04 pm
    Floozy said:

    AHAHAHAHA….orchid that really is a sad image. BTW how is your finger ?
    Tinkertoy…. in these situations it doesn’t pay to be fussy… drink up.

  53. 19 Nov 2008 at 11:19 pm
    orchid said:

    @51 not a bad combination until you throw in some licor 43 and some absinthe. or lemon juice & milk. THAT’s a winner.

    @52 i don’t even miss it anymore.

  54. 19 Nov 2008 at 11:33 pm
    Floozy said:

    Im not loving the absinthe thing at all… overpriced Ouzo IMHO

  55. 19 Nov 2008 at 11:43 pm
    orchid said:

    we almost got mugged trying to drink some in barcelona (i think that was before my ex got beat up by the clown), & i brought some back from prague. it’s like green windex.

    /might drink it before ouzo, though.

  56. 20 Nov 2008 at 5:18 pm
    philbert said:

    Chartreuse is my greenish herbal liquor of choice.

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