The hotel and market-rate apartment project for the Newton Legacy Plaza Campus, which has been in the works for years, reached a milestone yesterday. Des Moines Area Community College, the owner of Legacy Plaza, announced the sale of former Maytag buildings 1, 2, 16 and 50, as well as associated parking lots and driveways, to Christensen Development of Des Moines. The 3.9 acres of property are part of a 35-million dollar project to renovate Buildings 1 and 2 into a 58-room historic boutique hotel, and convert Building 16 into a 70-unit market-rate apartment community.

That’s Kim Didier, Executive Director of Business Resources at DMACC. Jake Christensen of Des Moines is the Developer.

When completed, the boutique hotel and market-rate apartments will be managed by hotelier Angela Harrington, president and CEO of Catalyst Development, and owner of Hotel Grinnell in Grinnell and Highlander Hotel in Iowa City. Harrington’s hotels are the only woman-owned hotels in Iowa. Construction will begin later this summer and be completed in approximately one year. The former Maytag Campus was donated to DMACC in 2016, nine years after Maytag closed. Didier notes the two buildings that will house the boutique hotel have the “Maytag Company”” written in large letters along their rooftops.

.Those two buildings were built in the 1900s. Maytag opened the building that will have the 70 apartments in 1914. Amenities for the apartment residents will be in the smaller building next door. Didier expects the hotel and the academic center to have some working ties to each other.

Didier has lived in Newton for 24 years, and has worked for the City and Maytag in the past. She notes the collaboration that has occurred to get this project completed among DMACC, the City, the County, and the State.

Jasper County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Jeff Davidson oversaw the County’s involvement in the development.

A 14 million dollar “Reinvestment District Award” has been granted by the State to support the creation of the hotel and apartments, and other projects in Newton. A brewery and a pub are among the 18 tenants that currently occupy other commercial space at Legacy Plaza.