The foundations have been poured for the Residence Inn at Portwalk; which is part of a mixed use development in the city's historic district. Pro Con Inc of Manchester is the architect of record and the design builder for Portwalk's first phase which includes the hotel and retail space and will be owned by Parade Residence Hotel LLC. Cathartes Private Investments of Boston is the developer of Portwalk, Elkus Manfredi Architects of Boston is the master planner, and DeStefano Architects of Portsmouth is the consulting architect. When completed, Portwalk will include three buildings offering office, commercial and residential space between Deer, Hanover and Maplewood Sts.
Cathartes P.I. and Pro Con are aiming to make Portwalk a LEED certified mixed-use development and the Residence Inn, New Hampshire's first LEED certified hotel. The goal is to recycle 95% of the demolished waste material from the former 2-story, 86,000 s/f Parade Mall which was recently demolished to make way for the new downtown center. In addition, Portwalk will use regional and recycled materials in construction and incorporate environmentally beneficial strategies such as using white roofing, deploying water efficient landscaping, and promoting alternative transportation.
Portwalk will be a pedestrian friendly development featuring first class office space, retail shops, restaurants, residences and the Residence Inn by Marriott hotel; a 5-story, 96,000 s/f mixed use building. The building's first floor will house the hotel's lobby and common areas and 12,000 s/f of retail space. Floors 2 thru 5 will house the hotel's guest rooms. The hotel will offer 128 urban studios and one-bedroom suites, with a hearth room, bar and lounge area, breakfast room, indoor pool & fitness room, meeting room, business center and guest laundry area.
The main entrance to the hotel will be on Portwalk Place, a one-way vehicular thoroughfare that will connect the Portwalk buildings with brick sidewalks. The hotel's side entrance will be on Deer St. The development's exterior design features granite banding, masonry veneer stone, red brick siding, and cornice molding which compliments the existing architecture in the neighborhood. Pro Con has scheduled a June 2010 completion date for the hotel and retail space.
Cathartes Private Investments is a private real estate development and investment company. Over the last ten years, the company has invested and developed over $500 million in commercial real estate, including the Hilton Garden Inn and the Harbour Hill Condominiums in Portsmouth which were completed in 2006.
Pro Con Inc recently completed the several design build hotel projects including a 150-room Renaissance Hotel and Spa at Patriot Place, a 100-room Residence Inn by Marriott in Auburn, ME and a 150-room Hampton Inn and Suites in Yonkers, NY. Pro Con Inc. is a full service architecture, engineering and construction management firm specializing in commercial, hospitality, institutional, educational, industrial and multi-family residential projects.