What’s Going On at the Dale Residences?

The pandemic and supply-chain issues have pushed back the timeline on the renovation of The Dale residences in downtown Holdrege, but work is still progressing and major changes will soon be visible.

PCDC has approved a GO! DREAM Exterior Remediation Grant to help The Dale owners replace exterior windows on floors 2-6 of the historic hotel.

Levels 2-6 will house 34 apartments, which are currently in various stages of renovation.

According to the PCDC project summary for The Dale, “modern weathertight windows are a critical step to making the 34 apartments habitable along with other steps now underway. Holdrege has a critical need for additional living units.”

Colorado-based company Christopher Hayden LLC purchased the Hotel Dale in September 2020 at a public auction. The building will is now called The Dale Residences and will feature clean, minimalist-style fully furnished apartments once completed.

“The PCDC grant is helping them replace every window in the residential part of the building,” PCDC Executive Director Ron Tillery said. That amounts to 142 windows.

“We are exceedingly fortunate to have received this consideration from PCDC,” co-owner Nancy Clark said. “Costs of materials have soared in the past year and nine months due to the pandemic. This grant allows us to continue with our plans to replace all the broken, single-pane windows throughout the building with beautiful new functional and energy-saving windows.”

They have contracted to install single-hung windows in a bronze finish.

“We anticipate the window replacement will do more to improve the visual appeal of the Dale than anything else could,” Clark said.

The Dale owners are also seeking a façade renovation grant from PCDC to assist with some exterior details, including replacing the damaged entrance canopy.

“The façade renovation grant will allow us to replace the canopy roof with a copper roof that doesn’t leak like a colander,” Nancy said. “Matching copper downspouts immediately to each side of the double entry doors will give the entry a bit of glamorous ‘pop.’ The copper artist will install copper panels in the recess under each first-floor retail window. This small detail will underscore the other copper detailing giving it a subtle glam, appropriate to the original 1930s Hollywood glam style used in the original construction of the Dale.”

Clark said they have finished painting every apartment (walls, ceiling and trim work) in a “marshmallow white.” Hallway painting is now underway with “caviar” black paint on the ceiling and exposed plumping pipes and a light gray that matches the lobby color on the walls.

CMH Interiors of Kearney has nearly finished installing gray vinyl plank flooring on the second floor and will install it on the other floors as well.

Currently, there are no renters in the building while construction and renovation are underway except for General Manager Damien Payne, who relocated with his family (wife and five children) from Oklahoma City.

“He’s an expert painter and studied the woodworking trade for two years,” Clark said. “He’s an especially attentive first responder for all things at the Dale. He is fastidious when it comes to watching over the building and knowing all systems.”

The Payne family is living in the second-floor manager’s apartment, which was renovated with some fun new styles while retaining some of the classic features. Bruce Furniture installed new neutral caramel-colored carpet throughout most of the apartment.

“The TV room is especially fun,” Clark said. “We painted the walls and ceiling in Sherwin Williams’ Color of the Year 2021 ‘Urbane Bronze.’ We installed cowhide carpet squares to match the rich brown of the ‘Urbane Bronze’ paint.”

Payne manufactured a kitchen sink for his apartment and is creating similar sinks for other Dale apartments.

“Damien was able to manufacture the completed sink in less than 1.5 hours each,” Clark said. “Set against the original mosaic tile, the look of these new kitchen sinks is impressive, and the materials will be both sturdy and remarkably easy to maintain in the future.”

Clark said their goal is to be able to welcome new renters to The Dale by mid-summer 2022.

For more information about PCDC GO! DREAM and other grants, visit https://www.phelpscountyne.com/business-services/go!-programs/go-dream-programs.