The transformation of the Legacy Hotel at 625 W. Capitol Ave. in downtown Little Rock into a boutique lodging proceeds apace, says Kishan Patel, operations manager. And included in that remodel is a renovated restaurant space with a new name and new menu, although that’s yet to be determined.
The Legacy’s owners have given the restaurant space to Moses & Tucker to list, Patel said, and won’t be involved in the restaurant’s operations.
“We don’t have any set plans,” he said. “We know what we don’t want. We’re looking for just good American food.”
Patel noted that the Legacy is across from the federal courthouse complex, which houses a number of government workers. “We want to make sure that the restaurant’s really catering to an older generation but not leaving out the millennials,” he said.
The restaurant, whatever its character, should offer good wine, liquor and craft beer, to attract evening crowds.
The Legacy will be operated as part of the Ascend Hotel Collection, Choice Hotels International’s “network of historic, boutique and unique hotels that offer guests an authentic, local experience,” according to the Choice Hotels website. And, Patel said, the hotel company has its own guidelines for restaurants in its Ascend properties.
The Legacy’s owners — Jitendra Patel (Kishan’s father), Ankur Desai, Parimal Patel, Bhavin Patel and Jamak LLC — hope to have the restaurant remodel done in the next couple of months.
As for the conversion of the hotel itself, Patel said it was going well. “We should be done by Aug. 1, fingers crossed.”
The renovation involves new paint, furniture, room styles, etc., and will leave the hotel with 82 rooms. “It’s pretty much getting a makeover.”
The 65,000-SF Legacy, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was built by Fred W. Allsopp, business manager of the old Arkansas Gazette, in 1914 and opened as the Hotel Freiderica. Some may remember it as the Hotel Sam Peck. According to the Legacy’s website, the hotel will again be called the Freiderica when the rebranding is finished this summer.