Sitting on a plane to come back to Virginia, Lee Danielson confirmed reports that he had been fired by Halsey Minor, owner of the Landmark Hotel on the Downtown Mall. Minor did not immediately return calls for comment.
Early last month, Minor and Danielson were protagonists of a feud concerning the future of the hotel. At that time, Minor told C-VILLE exclusively that “Mr. [Danielson] is the former developer. We won’t be needing his services when the project resumes.” Danielson insisted he still was the developer and expected to complete the project as such.
Will the Landmark Hotel be fleshed out, or are we going to see this shell of a building for the foreseeable future?
On November 12, Minor said the project was in serious jeopardy and would shut down completely because his lender, Silverton Bank, had failed to make a $1.1 million payment. Minor said he put up $7 million to the $24 million borrowed from a Silverton subsidiary that does hotel financing, Specialty Finance Group LLC. Danielson and the bank contradicted Minor’s version of the story, and the construction consultant, Cliff Harrison, said that a problem with funding had been cleared up.
Court records indicate that the hotel’s construction management company, Clancy & Theys, put $3.1 million in mechanic’s liens on the property on November 12. But the company was apparently paid, because all of the liens were satisfied on November 20, according to court documents. Moreover, work has continued since the developers’ public spat.
So, what will be the future of the hotel? “I have no idea what’s going on except that it’s a crying-out-loud shame,” says Danielson. “I am always a hopeful person and I think the project speaks for itself, it’s a great project.”
When asked about his future plans, Danielson laughed. “I am flying back to Virginia and I am going duck hunting, that’s what my plans are right now.”
-With additional reporting by Will Goldsmith