The story below appeared in Sunday’s Gazette-Mail.

by George Hohmann
Daily Mail Business Editor

There have been lots of changes from one end of Capitol Street to the other over the last year and some big changes are in the works.

The most noticeable change occurred near the south end of the street, where a retractable canopy was installed over a portion of Haddad Riverfront Park. The project was paid for in large measure with a $2 million federal grant secured by the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd.

The canopy wasn’t the only improvement:

* A concert stage, the Schoenbaum Stage, was built.

* Kanawha Boulevard between the park and the Charleston House Hotel was given a makeover with colored pavers laid out to form the City of Charleston’s logo.

* An observation deck with canopy was completed overlooking the Kanawha River at the end of Court Street.

The improvements to what Mayor Danny Jones likes to call “Charleston’s front porch” added life to the area. The park hosted numerous events, ranging from a free Labor Day weekend concert by the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra to an October rally for Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Raese that featured former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and gun advocate and rocker Ted Nugent.

During the summer the park also hosted Live on the Levee, a series of free Friday night concerts, and in August The Belle of Cincinnati, a sternwheeler, offered cruises that departed from the dock.

Susie Salisbury, the Charleston Area Alliance’s vice president of community development, believes the city will reap even more benefits from the upgraded park this summer. “It’s going to be a great anchor,” she said.

A big change that has not yet happened but looms is the sale of the Charleston House Hotel, which overlooks the park.

A deal to sell the 12-story, 256-room hotel to a Florida-based company fell through in December. Earlier this month Mayor Jones told the Sunday Gazette-Mail he has been talking to two prospective buyers.

CWCapital Asset Management, a holding company that owns the hotel, is asking $6 million for the property, which includes a 258-space parking garage. It was previously reported that consultants have estimated it would cost $12 million to $15 million to renovate the hotel. The property carried the Holiday Inn logo until November.

Several bars, clubs and restaurants form a nucleus of nightspots on Capitol Street north of the riverfront.

An upscale bar, the Sky Lounge, has opened at 26 Capitol St., and the building’s owner, John Smallridge, has put the structure on the market for $645,000. He claims the building dates back to the end of the Civil War and is the oldest building in downtown Charleston.

Smallridge also has listed 16 Capitol St., the former home of Ernie’s Esquire, for sale. The asking price is $300,000.

One change at the Security Building, 100 Capitol St., occurred at the end of January when Capitol Fitness closed. The gym had opened in 2004.

On the northwest corner of Capitol and Quarrier streets, the space last occupied by the Cafe de Paris is for rent. The cafe closed about two years ago.

On up the street, new life was brought to the ground floor of 222 Capitol St. in December when Kimberly Shingledecker and David Bailey opened Pies and Pints. The pizzeria offers hand-stretched pizzas and premium beers.

Across the street, there have been several changes at the Lowenstein Building, 225 Capitol St., since Bill Turner bought it in 2009:

* Ellen’s Ice Cream was remodeled.

* A new entrance was cut into the Brawley Walkway side of the building and Maple Creative moved into a 3,000-square-foot space behind Ellen’s. Maple Creative is a marketing, advertising, public relations and lobbying company.

Big changes are in store for Brawley Walkway, the pedestrian thoroughfare formerly known as Fife Street.

Salisbury said the city has obtained the services of Origin 4 Design, a Pittsburgh, Pa.-based design team, to come up with a re-design of the walkway and Slack Plaza.

“They’ll do this through a public input process very similar to the process we went through with Sasaki Associates for Haddad Riverfront Park,” she said. Stakeholders like the Kanawha Valley Regional Transportation Authority and businesses in the vicinity of the project will be consulted. One part of the process will involve a 6 p.m. March 28 public hearing at the Civic Center.

Salisbury said the Charleston Area Alliance formed a task force to work on the application for the design work and the city filed the application. “This is through the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s ‘Greening America’s Capitals’ program,” she said. “The program only targeted state capitals. I think they had over 30 applicants. They only chose five. We were one of the five.”

After the design work is complete the city will have to seek a way to finance the project. Asked to guess the cost, Salisbury said, “The reality is you’re probably at least going to be looking at a million dollars to do it right – and so far I haven’t talked to anyone who does not want to do it right.”

Several changes have occurred recently near Capitol Street. They include:

* The Blossom, at 904 Quarrier St., reopened under new ownership in December after the previous owner shut it down in late August. The restaurant currently serves lunch but there’s talk of expanding to include dinner hours.

* A company formed by real estate agent Anna Pollitt purchased The Quarrier Diner last year. The diner closed in 1999. Pollitt and her son, Tim, plan to remodel and reopen the restaurant at 1022 Quarrier St.

* Gallery Eleven moved from 1033 Quarrier St. to 1035 Quarrier St., as did Studio 1031.

Salisbury said the Charleston Area Alliance’s Art Walk will include two new stops this year: Studio 1031, which moved in above Gallery Eleven, and the Marshall University Graduate Humanities Program at the Blue Door Art Studio, which is behind the Good News Mountaineer Garage Gallery on Hale Street.

The Art Walk season begins March 17, St. Patrick’s Day. Art Walk is held the third Thursday of the month, March through December, except in June, when there’s a special edition held to coincide with FestivALL, and in November when we take advantage of ‘Black Friday.’”

On the topic of Art Walk stops: Stray Dog Antiques, 219 Hale St., expanded last year. The shop now features furniture and large items on the third floor and vintage clothing on the mezzanine.

A few blocks from Capitol Street, across from the Clay Center, the brick wall behind the Mary Price Ratrie Greenspace was painted purple.

Thinking back over the past year, Salisbury said, “There have been a lot of changes. In a recession, it’s pretty good.”