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A historic Northwest Portland building is getting a face-lift and a new lease on life.

Ganesh Sonpatki, owner of the 133-year-old Harlow Block at 722-738 N.W. Glisan St., in 2012 announced plans to renovate and reopen the long-vacant building as a hotel.

Sonpatki in 2008 purchased the building for $950,000, according to city data. In 2009, Portland-based architect Stan Chesshir applied to the Bureau of Development Services for a commercial building permit to renovate the upper floors and remodel the ground floor to accommodate a restaurant. Sonpatki put renovation plans on hold in the face of a down economy; however, after purchasing and renovating the Downtown Value Inn near Portland State University, he decided to move forward with the Harlow Block project.

鈥淭he delay was partly because of the economy, but also there was a seismic component,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n a building that age you can do a certain amount of renovation without triggering a seismic upgrade, and with the economy improving we decided just to go in and do it all at once.鈥�

When work wraps up, the hotel will have 25 rooms 鈥� each with its own bathroom. Sonpatki said rooms will run between $60 and $120 per night.

鈥淚 think the best thing is that, price-wise, I don’t see a lot of affordable alternatives for hotel rooms in Northwest Portland,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o people are stuck staying farther out or have to split the cost of a room to afford it. This is a price point people can afford.鈥�

Sonpatki predicts construction to cost about $2.5 million. He expects to open for business in summer 2015. Contractors have already begun demolishing parts of the building and installing steel rebar to support poured concrete.

鈥淭hey’ll basically build a cement structure inside,鈥� Sonpatki said. 鈥淭hat way, if there’s an earthquake and the bricks start collapsing, the walls will stay intact.鈥�

Sonpatki owns several other Portland-area properties, including the Banfield Value Inn in the Hollywood District, Briarwood Suites in Southeast Portland and the Peppertree Inn in Beaverton. He’s in negotiations to purchase the Astoria Riverwalk Inn and the adjacent Seafare Restaurant & Lounge.

Although Sonpatki has chosen to partner with national hotel chains for some of his projects, he said he’s planning on running the Harlow Block one 鈥� which he hasn’t yet named 鈥� independently.

Plans for the Harlow Block building renovation show ground-floor space for two 700-square-foot retail spaces, a 700-square-foot hotel lobby and 1,500 square feet of restaurant space.

鈥淚’m planning on opening the restaurant myself or finding a partner who’s looking for space,鈥� Sonpatki said. 鈥淚’m looking at having American cuisine with a Northwest flavor and some sort of a bar component.鈥�

The building has no designated parking area, but Sonpatki is looking at contracting local lots to accommodate hotel guests’ vehicles. He also is hoping that the building’s proximity to light rail and bus service will lessen the need for parking.

The Harlow Block was built in 1882 by Capt. John Harlow, an entrepreneur who founded Troutdale. He built the hotel near the planned transcontinental railroad station, but died a year after the building opened for business. Harlow’s widow, Celeste Harlow, retained ownership and managed the property until 1902.

When Celeste Harlow sold the building, the new owners renamed it Park Hotel. In 1907, the structure was sold again and became the Muckle Building. In 1980 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.