The Willard hotel, or the AC Hotel, on Glenwood is nearing completion. Sidewalk pavers were being installed this past weekend and the place is nicely lit up at night. You can even make reservations on the Marriott website.
The 146-room hotel is missing it’s name though. “The Willard” must have been a local name for the construction project but Marriott seems to prefer “AC Hotel Raleigh Downtown” going forward. It’s a great location though and I’m sure visitors staying here will have a fun time.
Believe it or not, hotel construction is taking place in Raleigh. The crane for The Willard hotel was taken down this past weekend. That means this project has topped out.
The Willard actually started before the pandemic hit and based on my expert observational skills past and present, the hotel should be finished later this year.
Hotel building is still taking place in downtown Raleigh. I feel like The Willard, being built along Glenwood Avenue at the corner with Willard Place, was funded right before the pandemic really hit. This project has been moving throughout the year and is starting to show some height.
The rooms overlooking the street will have a great view of downtown. I’m pretty excited about this one to be honest.
The location for The Willard hotel has been cleared out for awhile and now a crane is being assembled on the site. Looking west, the hotel should have a pretty nice view of the downtown skyline.
The buildings are starting to come down to make way for The Willard hotel. Located at the corner of Glenwood Avenue and Willard Place, the brick buildings formerly used as office space and the surface parking lot will have a new hotel in the future.
At one point, the planners suggested condos on the upper floors but it’s been awhile since so it’ll be great to get an update on the plans. The lots are zoned for a maximum of 7 stories.
Future site of The Willard hotel on Glenwood Avenue. February 2018.
On the city’s website, a submitted Administrative Alternate for Design (AAD-1-18) shows renderings of The Willard, a planned hotel and condo building for Glenwood South. Taking a peak, I wanted to share those renderings here on the blog.
As a refresher, The Willard will be an AC hotel by Marriott brand hotel on the southwest corner of Willard Place and Glenwood Avenue. The building will have hotel rooms and some residential units. Shown in the photo above is the site of the project which will see the demolition of two brick office buildings and the surface parking lot in between.
This particular AAD case seems to deal with the placement of the building and how far set back it is. I see a proposal for an outdoor amenity area which sits a little farther back than is required. Seems like a minor issue.
Either way, here are the renderings.
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Rendering of The Willard hotel, AAD-1-18. Click for larger
Email readers: This blog post has a virtual reality image. Read the post on the blog to see it.
Plans submitted to the city for The Willard are showing a 7-story building for the southwest corner of Glenwood Avenue and Willard Place. It will consist of 121 hotel rooms, 16 condos, and ground-floor retail. The hotel will be an AC Hotel by Marriott brand.
Let’s get into the maps.
Click for larger
Click for larger
The brick office buildings and associated surface parking lots will be cleared out for The Willard. I want to say some residential units are here also but I can’t confirm. Maybe a reader knows more about the makeup of these current buildings and can share.
The Willard will have its own parking with an attached deck containing 61 spaces. The entrance/exit will be on Willard Place in the rear of the building.
When looking at the site plan for the first floor, there’s a bit too many walls and glass for my taste. Glenwood South is one of our more intense pedestrian corridors so if this is the final layout I would consider this poor support for street life activity.
Here it is below with only the lobby and one 3,100 square foot retail space on the corner of Willard and Glenwood.
Click for larger
I’ll admit though that I have no experience with this “higher end” brand of hotel. The bar/lounge area may be a site in itself so maybe it’s not that bad.
I’ve always felt that Glenwood South needs a solid southern bookend and One Glenwood is probably going to be it. The addition of a hotel on the southern end will help make the street feel longer with a variety of activity.
Here’s a bonus, a VR view of Willard and Glenwood from November 2017.