Former Lyndora Hotel building bought
Lyndora, in Butler Township, has been going through some changes recently, from a new sports complex, to the reconfiguration of the Whitestown Road and Hansen Avenue intersection, but another change is aiming to bring more business back to the area.
Last week, Joe Gray, with Ashlar Architecture & Engineering of Butler, said he purchased the former Lyndora Hotel building at 1 Main St. for $249,000 with hopes of renovating it so it is suitable for a new tenant, or even more than one.
“At this point I am staying flexible with it,” Gray said regarding the building’s future. “I bought it as an opportunity investment. I believe the Lyndora area is up and coming with what the township has going on. I just believe it's a good location to have property at this point.”
The downstairs portion of the building is what was mostly used by the restaurant, with the upstairs section going unused.
Over the next few months, Gray said he will be looking for tenants, either in the restaurant or brewery business, but he is open to the venue being a multiuse space.
“I'm not looking to get into the restaurant business,” Gray said. “But I would want to team with a tenant in that regard. The upstairs could be a number of things.”
The building was constructed in 1908, but the foundation is “solid” Gray said. However, some minor improvements are going to be needed to make it suitable for any tenant.
“We need to address some things fairly soon,” Gray said. “The roof needs mentioned and it needs cleaned up. The electrical, HVAC and plumbing needs updated. I don't want to do too much so I can build it out for the tenant.”
Gray said he is not sure how long it will take to find a tenant and he is not sure how long it will take to get the renovations done.
“I have a number of projects on the board right now,” Gray said. “I'm not pushing this real hard, but I am open to teaming up with a tenant that might want to move quickly.”
The Lyndora Hotel Bar sign is something Gray said he would like to keep in some capacity, possibly putting it inside the building somewhere.
“Other than that there is not a lot that is architecturally significant about the building,” gray said. “Ultimately it would be nice to make some minor changes with the color, siding or roof. Just do something different down the road.”
The bar and restaurant was owned by the Pawk family from 1947 to 2023. When the building was finished in the early 1900s, it served as a hotel for travelers doing business at the steel mills.
On Sept. 6, 2023, the Pawk family officially closed the restaurant and bar, while also selling the business’ liquor license to the Sheetz in Harrisville.
According to previous Butler Eagle reports, Mike Pawk, owned the business with his siblings, who said they tried to sell the business and license to continue its legacy in Butler, but had no luck.
What will come of the property will unfold in the coming weeks and months, and Gray is hopeful revitalization of the space will be another way to show Lyndora is on the rise.
“The other thing that adds to the property is the intersection at Whitestown Road and Hansen Avenue,” Gray said. “That is going to enhance the value of the property with the traffic flow. The way they designed it I think it's a really good design. It give us opportunity to have better parking on the north side of the building.”
