The Priory Hospitality Group’s owner John Graf plans to convert the Castle into a destination dining facility, hotel and event space, and in the course of doing this, hopefully provide a shot in the arm to a community which can use some help.
The hotel will feature an affordable restaurant with an emphasis on innovative cuisine and fresh and local ingredients, as well as 40 guest rooms and multiple event rooms for meetings and celebrations.
Jumpstarting a Once Thriving Industrial Town
The renovation and re-use of the Castle as an eating destination, hotel and event center will provide multiple benefits to the Turtle Creek Valley such as:
- Preservation of a Community Icon: It will preserve an historic and iconic structure connected to one of the foremost innovators in American History, George Westinghouse, and will do so in a way which attracts visitors from around the country and around the world. This brings new money into the Turtle Creek Valley economy, and will provide an example for further investment into the area.
- Job Creation: Once operating, the Castle Hotel will provide 70-80 good-paying jobs in a neighborhood with high unemployment, including jobs for youth without job experience.
- Job Training: The Castle Hotel will offer free training programs and externships in hospitality fields to high school, vocational school and two year college students to get them the experience they need to launch their careers.
- Local Sourcing: The Castle Hotel will, when completed, buy local first — from local produce and food vendors (with a leg up to sustainably-raised products), to insurance agents, to hardware vendors, and so forth, creating a positive ripple effect in the local economy.
- Community Discounts: The Castle Hotel’s restaurant – emphasizing fresh local ingredients and an affordable menu – will offer on a daily basis discounts to community members.
- Community Use of the Facility: The Castle Hotel will offer free or discounted event and meeting space for local residents and organizations.
- Celebrating the Building’s Heritage: The use of the building – in large part event and restaurant space, will allow for the display of cultural artifacts which will be available to the community and the world to view whenever they visit.