By Shirley Min
The construction underway in Wilmington points to another cycle of change for downtown, where changes seem to be popping up on every corner of Market Street.
Most notably are changes within the DuPont Building, including upgrades at the historic Hotel du Pont.
The lavish Hotel du Pont put Wilmington on the map when it opened in 1913. Because the hotel has remained a landmark of luxury ever since, its new owners were careful when making $400,000 worth of changes there. The Buccini/Pollin Group acquired the hotel last year.
“I knew that was our first order of business here was to make sure we celebrate what’s great about the hotel, preserve it and maybe enhance it even,” said Dave Pollin, BPG’s co-founder and president. “So the things we decided to do, we’re doing very slowly.”
BPG invested heavily in state-of-the-art technology and infrastructure, including top of the line TVs and Wi-Fi. The most obvious changes, though, can be seen in the lobby. The carpet and furniture are new. Also, the heavy drapery that used to cover the floor-to-ceiling windows has been taken down, allowing a lot more natural light inside.
“The Green Room Bar also received a modern makeover, as did the menus at the opulent, four-star Green Room restaurant and at the Café. Pollin said the Café’s more casual fare and cheaper prices will fill the void left behind by the Grill, the informal cafeteria-style in the lower level of the hotel that BPG closed in June.
The cafeteria was largely used to feed DuPont employees. The company moved its corporate headquarters to its Chestnut Run Plaza location in the Wilmington suburbs, reducing traffic at the Grill. When Chemours, DuPont’s performance chemicals spinoff, temporarily relocated, Pollin said the decision was made not to reopen the Grill. Despite its closure, Pollin said bake sales, which were held in the cafeteria, will continue.
A new $3.5 million food hall coming to the DuPont Building was a big factor that also played into BPG’s decision. DE.CO (an abbreviation for Delaware Collective) is slated to open at the corner of 10th and Orange Streets later this year.
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