Another Heritage week here and gone and still no hotel in town

Bhavik Shah of Oil City Hospitality, the private company that bought the hotel in late 2020, did not respond to questions from the newspaper this week via email about plans to reopen the Days Inn.

But the hotel remains dark and closed a year later.

Patel, when he was contacted again by the newspaper earlier this year, said the hotel will be open “this year for sure.”

He said at the time the hotel had two water main breaks that had caused damage, and he also said then he was waiting for warmer weather to paint the exterior of the building.

Oil City Hospitality, which is based in Richmond, Virginia, bought the hotel, which leads to the North Side business district off Veterans Bridge, in December 2020 from First Western SBLC of Dallas, Texas.

The bank was the sole bidder for the 106-room hotel at a Venango County sheriff’s sale in mid 2020.

The hotel was built as a five-story Holiday Inn at a cost of $1.6 million. It opened for business in August 1965 and for the better part of the next three decades or so was one of the focal points of Oil City’s social and business scene, particularly during the busy Heritage Festival.

The hotel was later renamed the Arlington and became part of the America’s Best Value Inn chain. Then in 2013 it became a Days Inn as part of the Wyndham Hotel chain.

Things still quiet with Adamovsky buildings

Meanwhile, another out of state owner of multiple properties in downtown Oil City has also been keeping to himself any plans he may have for his buildings.

There was a lot of talk about big plans with the properties, but very little has been heard from Adamovsky since the spring of 2021.

This week, in response to questions from the newspaper about his buildings in Oil City, Adamovsky wrote only, “Thank you for your interest in our developments. As soon as we will have something newsworthy we will make sure to share that with you. Until then we will refrain from making any public statements.”

Adamovsky, who also purchased several buildings in Indiana, Pennsylvania, about a year and a half ago, has recently renewed his interest in the buildings he owns there, according to an article published last week in the Indiana Gazette.

But, as in Oil City, Adamovsky is keeping quiet about whatever plans he may have in Indiana, the Gazette noted.

In Oil City, Adamovsky bought three properties — the former National Fuel Gas headquarters at 308 Seneca St., the IOOF Building at 220 Seneca St. and the Grandview Estates furniture store building at 202 Center St. — in December 2020.

In February 2021, he closed the deal on 217 Seneca St., site of the former Isaly’s store, and 106 Center St., a corner building that previously housed the Rosen, Rosen and Varsek law offices.

All five deeds were transferred from the sellers to Adamovsky and his various limited liability companies. The sales agreements ranged from $159,000 for the National Fuel property to articles of agreement for the others.

Adamovsky held three town hall meetings in the former Grandview Estates building in 2021— one each in February, March and April. But no get-togethers have taken place since then.

A short time after the last town hall meeting paper went up covering the ground floor windows of his buildings at 202 Center and 106 Center.

To date, he has mentioned only one finite business venture — opening an upscale ice cream parlor at 106 Center.

Adamovsky has never given a timeline or concrete details about how he plans to accomplish that project.

Oil City officials and community leaders have indicated to the newspaper on several occasions they haven’t had any contact with Adamovsky for quite some time.