We guess it was only a matter of time before someone at Seneca Falls was bit by the Capra bug – again! Gould Hotel at the village of Seneca Falls plans to undergo a $2.6 million refurbishment to upscale itself into a luxury, four-star hotel and will rename itself as Hotel Clarence, the name of the angelic character played by Henry Travers.
The village already boasts of an annual ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ festival and when you enter Fall Street, you come across the ‘George Bailey Lane’ and the ‘Clarence Street.’ The hotel has been shut down for several years and will likely see a June 2009 inauguration.
The four-story red brick exterior will look similar to the original 1920s hotel, while the interiors will feature contemporary design and bold colors. The hotel includes an old mahogany bar from Muldoon’s, an ancient area in Seneca Falls.
Situated next to the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the WiFi integrated hotel will feature 48 rooms on three floors, nine suites, a ballroom, banquet facilities, conference rooms, a fitness center, dining areas, a fine dining restaurant and a remodeled bar with seating capacity of 26. To create 90 parking spaces, four nearby structures will be torn down, including a house on Mynderse Street, two State Street properties and the rear cinder block portion of the restaurant.
The prime factors for renovating the hotel include the need for another lodging facility for the large number of travelers to Seneca Falls and another hotel for hosting parties, dinners and meetings.
Liverpool-based Parsons-McKenna Construction Co. will perform the refurbishment work. Bedford Enterprises, LLC, of Liverpool, affiliates of JGB Properties, owns the property.
