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More Fenway glory days ahead?

An attorney's restoration plan is welcomed as good news for Dunedin.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES
Published November 6, 2005

DUNEDIN - Dunedin residents Friday welcomed the news that Schiller International University may soon be restored to the grandeur of its early years.

Attorney George Rahdert announced last week that he had a contract to purchase the property and plans to restore the aging facility to turn it into a luxury hotel. The building was created in 1925 as a 116-room hotel called Fenway on the Bay.

"This news makes my heart sing," said Dunedin City Commissioner Deborah Kynes, who has lived in the neighborhood for 27 years. "I have a great love for the old building and look forward to it being restored and brought back to glory."

Rahdert, who represents the Times on First Amendment issues, hasn't filed plans for the 6.4-acre property at 453 Edgewater Drive. He said he will meet next week with city officials to seek their input.

"I need to know what the parameters are," he said. "The premise is to come up with a plan agreeable to the community of Dunedin."

He cited the Belleview Biltmore Resort in Belleair as an example of a historic property changing hands in a way that pleased no one, calling it "a lesson in what not to do."

"There is no point in doing a restoration if it is not welcomed," he said.

Rahdert met with some city officials a couple of weeks ago.

"Their obvious concerns are density, public access and harmony with the neighborhood," he said.

As for preserving the building, he said, "I will exceed their expectations."

Most neighbors contacted Friday wished Rahdert well on the venture, though a few noted that such projects aren't easy, and one suggested he could face tough work ahead.

"I wish him good luck with the bureaucracy in Dunedin," said John Espey, a former School Board member and a resident on Edgewater Drive near Schiller. "I have seen many people get trampled."

Rahdert wants to turn the historic building into a hotel-condominium in which owners participate in a leasing pool, though he's not sure yet how many rooms he would include. He also may build a second-phase hotel facility overlooking a courtyard as well as about 25 residential townhouses to buffer the hotel from the surrounding neighborhood. The number of townhomes would depend on the city's approval, he said.

Rahdert, 55, a resident of St. Pete Beach, is known for his commitment to restoration in St. Petersburg, where he has recycled about 20 historical projects such as the Kress Building, the Florida Craftsmen Gallery and the Sealtest Building, St. Petersburg's original ice cream factory. He owns Mansion by the Bay, a meeting and banquet facility, as well as the Bay Gables Bed & Breakfast.

Rahdert said he plans to put the hotel on the National Register of Historic Places.

Local historian Mike Sanders called that plan music to his ears.

"We finally have a restoration-minded party who wants to bring it back to its former glory," Sanders said.

Developer Richard Gehring, who lives near the property, was pleased a developer interested in preservation has a contract on the property.

"I don't know him and don't know the specifics but it sounds like he knows what he is getting into," Gehring said. "I think someone who is dedicated to historic preservation should be given a lot of support."

It is, after all, a monumental challenge.

"Preservation is very costly because there are so many contemporary code issues," Gehring said. He cited the American with Disabilities Act, hurricane codes, and electrical and plumbing systems. "I'm sure there is a creative solution but it's going to take city effort, developer effort and the neighborhood to make it happen."

Gehring's wife, Susan Rollins Gehring, was also encouraged by the news.

"It's a welcome notion that someone doesn't want to tear it down," she said. "If it becomes a hotel again, I don't think it would be much different than the school as far as the neighborhood traffic and noise are concerned. And Dunedin could really use a hotel as there are not a lot of offerings in that respect."

Gregory Brady, owner of Gregory's hair salon in downtown Dunedin and a board member of the Downtown Merchants' Association, said the project would benefit downtown by bringing in business.

"This is good news," he said. "We have been losing some short-term accommodation facilities, and there is going to be a need for more rooms."

Rahdert said the structure's banquet room had been a venue for weddings and parties for decades, and he plans to continue the tradition. He also hopes to open a restaurant on the site.

Dunedin City Commissioner Julie Scales, who once lived in the neighborhood, was pleased about the idea of a hotel.

"It's definitely a unique fixture to Dunedin," she said. "As far as the townhomes go, I want to wait and see what they are proposing. I would be concerned about the density."

Rahdert is considering creating a Web site for residents to weigh in.

"For this to work," he said, "it has to be something that provides a benefit to the public."

[Last modified November 6, 2005, 01:58:09]