Ormsby House walkway a step closer to completion

The Ormsby House Hotel Casino's pedestrian walkway came a step closer to completion Tuesday, as workers poured cement into forms on the second-story bridge.

The walkway, which connects the parking garage to the casino, will take guests by escalator to the first floor and the Ormsby's new hotel lobby, now marked with red string just south of the existing building.

"The building will be expanded about 20 feet," said Larry Tiller, the project's general manager. "Guests will also be able to access the second floor beauty salon, fine dining, banquet and convention centers."

The work should be completed and Curry Street reopened in about two weeks, said officials from Petrelli Concrete and Construction, the company handling this phase of the project.

Tiller said user-friendly access to the parking garage is critical to the success of the whole project and, to that end, the six-story garage will be completely renovated.

"The garage will be painted, lit, and fitted with surveillance cameras. We'll also have security patrols," he said.

Originally designed for 600 cars, that number will be pared to create wider parking spaces.

The Winchester Club, a 5,000-square-foot casino being built in the parking garages' southeast corner, is almost ready for the slot machines. Marble tile graces the entrance and the carpet is down. The casino should open within the month, Tiller said.

The new Ormsby House will include a steakhouse, coffee shop, buffet and expanded facilities for banquets and conventions. A small bar resembling the Ormsby's Old Corner Bar, a local favorite, will be relocated near the southeast corner of the building.

An addition to the east side of the building, part of the last renovation, will be removed to make way for a landscaped patio area, Tiller said.

Owners Al Fiegehen and Don Lehr originally expected to do the renovation without closing the hotel, but after hammering away the walls, they found multiple structural problems.

They announced the closing to give contractors room for a massive renovation from roof to street level and promise an overhaul costing more than $13 million.