Keystone hopes for August opening

McCOOK, Nebraska --The grand opening of the renovated Keystone Business Center will be in August, fingers crossed.

Already, several wedding receptions are scheduled for the dining/meeting hall and nearly all the office space on the second floor is rented, said Rex Nelson, MEDC executive director.

"Things are going really well," Nelson said, with the upper floors almost completed. Still, there's more to be done, he added, such as finishing up the electrical work, testing the heating/cooling system and finishing roof repairs. Sidewalk repair is also scheduled.

The 88-year old building, originally completed in 1922, is being revamped into office and meeting space on the second through fourth floors, plus room for start-up businesses and related training services on the third floor. The top two of the six stories will be remodeled, when needed, into condos and office space.

The fourth floor will be used by software application company 21st Century Systems Inc. The company also plans to expand into the basement for a data center, pending a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant.

With its soaring ceilings, marble floors and original columns, the lobby is undergoing a face-lift of its own, with a new paint job and furniture.

Sue Shaner, MEDC business coach, is chairman of a committee that has been researching historically-accurate colors used during the early 1920s, as well as refurbished hotels, to get an idea of how to decorate.

She declined to give specifics, wanting to keep it under wraps until the grand opening.

"I want it to be a surprise," she said. But she did say that some original color from the hotel was found on old pieces of plaster, that gave the committee an idea of what was used before.

And despite years of neglect, some parts of the building held up remarkably well.

"We are so fortunate that the original flooring is in beautiful shape," Shaner said of the marble floor.

A new beverage/sandwich shop will also be on the level. Proposals are being sought for someone to operate this business, Nelson said, that may also qualify for technical assistance from the entrepreneurial center on the third floor.

Toward the back of the lobby is the dining hall/meeting area, where wedding receptions are being booked. This area, with a wall of windows, original columns and a caterer kitchen, will seat 100 at tables.

EAD Constructors, of Omaha is the main contractor at the Keystone, with several sub-contractors hired for additional work.

For Facebook fans, the Keystone even has its own page, at "Keystone: In the Making."