St. Elmo motel transitions to apartments

Feb. 27—SAINT ELMO — The Waldorf Motel has been a staple in the St. Elmo community for several years. Before Interstate 70 was built, U.S. Route 40 was considered to be one of the main east to west thoroughfares crossing the United States. So, it wasn't unusual to find a variety of motels and restaurants built along Route 40.

Built in the early 1950s, The Waldorf Motel catered to Route 40 traffic and remained a motel until last year when an Altamont couple had an idea.

Brian Bannister and his wife Amanda are no strangers to the rental business. The Bannister's own Bannister Properties a business that started with a single family house rental 10 years ago followed by the purchase of a triplex in Vandalia.

"We just started building from there," Bannister said.

Today, the business has grown and the Bannister's own rental properties in Effingham, Altamont, Brownstown, Vandalia and now, St. Elmo.

Brian Bannister said it works out well because he works for OctoChem in Vandalia and if he needs to check on a property he can do so either before or after work. Amanda works for Heartland Dental and became a licensed real estate agent a year ago through Fayette County Real Estate in Vandalia.

Amanda Bannister grew up in Brownstown in Fayette County and Brian Bannister in Effingham.

"St. Elmo is what we always considered the half-way point," Brian Bannister said.

The couple thought with Conagra Brands along with the Ryder warehouse recently opening in St. Elmo there might be a need for an apartment or two.

"We started thinking about it and thought a rental property in St. Elmo might be a good idea," he said.

"We like the idea of finding something and turning it in to something else," Amanda Bannister said.

Brian Bannister said before he and his wife purchased the property they checked with the City of St. Elmo to see if there were any zoning concerns they needed to consider if they wanted to transform the motel into apartments.

"The mayor (Ernie Myers) was super excited about the idea and very helpful," Amanda Bannister said.

"This is the first commercial property we have purchased... and our first property in St. Elmo," Brian Bannister said.

With a green light from the city, the Bannister's purchased the old Waldorf motel from the Patels in Oct. of last year. In addition to owning the main motel building there was a bonus building as well that was once used as a restaurant.

The couple didn't waste any time transforming the old motel into St. Elmo Apartments.

"We purchased the property on Oct. 26 and started construction the next day," Brian Bannister said.

"They handed us a stack of keys (from the old motel) and we had to figure them out," Amanda Bannister said.

"We had to get rid of all of the mattresses, all of the dressers, night stands, TVs, mini-fridges and tables. We were making deals so we could get it all out of here before we started demo," Amanda Bannister said. "There will be 16 or 17 motel rooms that will end up being 12 apartments if we include the restaurant."

Brian Bannister said when you have a construction project like converting motel rooms into apartments to always expect the unexpected.

"When you start construction you realize things you didn't think of before," Brian Bannister said. "It seems like everything we get into is a lot of work."

He said since he was taking out bathrooms to make apartments he had to cap some of the water lines forcing him to install a new water system throughout the building.

"It was just something we didn't expect," Bannister said.

The Bannisters rely on contractor Greg Strobel of Brownstown for expert advice.

"He is creative. If we run into a problem, I feel like he really helps us," Amanda Bannister said.

"We have two people who work for us and Greg is managing the project," Brian Bannister said.

The Bannisters have two full-time employees working on the St. Elmo Apartments project, Shaun Hunter of Vandalia and Derrick Wright of Brownstown.

Bannister said most of the demo work is complete and work continues transforming old motel rooms into apartments. He said to make an apartment it takes more than one motel room especially when you figure in the amount of space a kitchen takes. Each apartment will feature a kitchen with new appliances, cabinets and sink.

He said he is leaving the flooring because it was installed not long before they purchased the property. Bannister said they are installing new mini-split systems for more efficient heating and air conditioning.

Currently, the couple have one three bedroom and a one bedroom rented at the new St. Elmo Apartments. When construction is complete the old Waldorf motel will have one three bedroom, two or three two bedroom (if they decide covert the old restaurant into an apartment) and 8 one bedroom apartments.

"I have several waiting on a two bedroom and several waiting on a one bedroom," Brian Banister said.

Bannister said the St. Elmo Apartments one bedroom apartments rent for $475 and 2 bedroom apartments rent for $575 with all utilities included. He said construction should take another 5 to 6 months before all of the apartments are complete.

Amanda Bannister said there were a lot of people now working in St. Elmo who wanted to live closer.

"We get a lot of calls from people living in Effingham or Vandalia who work here wanting to live closer to work," Amanda Bannister said. "You really can't blame them after the recent winter storm."

"My favorite thing about the business is seeing how a property starts out and then seeing how it ends up," Brian Bannister said.

For more information about Bannister Properties:

Website: bannisterproperties.net/rental-policies

Facebook: facebook.com/bannisterproperties

can be reached at charles.mills@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 217-347-7151 ext. 126.