Historic Indiana Hotel Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Jun 13th 2010 at 6:01PM

A historic hotel in Muncie, Indiana will be auctioned off next month. The Roberts Hotel will be auctioned July 14 by Indianapolis-based auction company, Key Auctioneers. The eight-story hotel has hosted five presidents and numerous celebrities since opening in 1922, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. The court-ordered auction will take place July 14 at 10 a.m. at the hotel. Local businessmen, including namesake George Roberts, commissioned architect Charles W. Nicol to design a grand hotel that would be "the showplace of Muncie." For most of its history it was the most elegant hotel in the area. The red brick exterior has indigenous Indiana limestone ornamentation and the inside includes ornate plasterwork and a two-story lobby with nine skylights.

The hotel was purchased by Bloomington developer Peter Dvorak in 2004. Two years later he closed the hotel and in January 2009 announced a $10 million plan to convert the hotel into luxury apartments. Unfortunately the economic downturn and credit issues intervened. The hotel will be auctioned without reserve and the furnishings and restaurant equipment from the hotel, including a grand piano, historical framed pictures, a massive antique dining table, china cabinets, rugs, and commercial kitchen equipment will also be up for sale. Proceeds from the sale will be applied to the property's delinquent taxes.

Tags: hotel auction, hotel for sale, indiana real estate, muncie, MuncieIndiana