Basalyga buys rundown Red Carpet Inn & Suites in downtown Scranton
Jul. 2—SCRANTON — Local developer John Basalyga bought the rundown Red Carpet Inn and Suites motel downtown at 320 Franklin Ave., Hinerfeld Commercial Real Estate announced today.
The property that spans the eastern side of the 300 block of Franklin Avenue between Mulberry and Linden streets was sold by Saroj Hotels Inc. to a Basalyga firm, JBAS Realty, for $1.7 million, said Hinerfeld Realtor John Cognetti.
Plans for the property were not immediately disclosed.
Attempts to reach Basalyga were unsuccessful.
Cognetti and Hinerfeld Realtor Elijah Miller handled the sale.
The building has been in various states of disrepair in recent years.
According to Cognetti:
The building was constructed in the 1960s, as a Holiday Inn and was Scranton's first motel.
Its construction was part of Scranton's Mulberry Street corridor project that involved expanding Mulberry Street from two to six lanes.
At that time, Mulberry Street was a main way in and out of Scranton and the Holiday Inn location was viewed as a perfect spot for tourists and visitors.
The motel reflected the growing mode of travel by automobile and decline of passenger rail service, while the former Casey and Jermyn hotels downtown also were declining in prominence.
It was a time of redevelopment and change in the city, as several other properties in the nearby areas of Mulberry Street, and Penn and Franklin avenues were demolished, including former retail and wholesale businesses, clubs and bars.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9100 x5185; @jlockwoodTT on Twitter.
