48-year-old hotel in Merrillville will be torn down and replaced
Demolition is about to start at a prominent northwestern Indiana hotel months after its owner dropped plans to also tear down the neighboring Star Plaza Theatre.
White Lodging says demolition work should begin Friday inside the 330-room Radisson at Star Plaza hotel in Merrillville.
The Northwest Indiana Times reports (
) it could take four months to tear down the hotel that opened in 1969, sparking development in what had been a rural area near the Interstate 65 and U.S. 30 interchange.
White Lodging plans to build a new hotel at the site. The company was also set to demolish the 3,400-seat theater, but reversed course following an outpouring of community support for the venue that's featured top entertainers such as Bob Dylan, Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock.
