Miami Herald

July 15, 2007, BY JENNIFER MOONEY PIEDRA

Barbara Wells has fond childhood memories of traveling by train from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale to spend spring vacation with her grandparents.

She remembers spending days on the beach and visiting her grandfather at the Riverside Hotel.

What she didn't realize at the time was that the hotel belonged to her family and that her grandfather, Preston Wells, and his brother, John, founded it in 1936, when it was called the Champ Carr.

Today, the landmark hotel overlooking Las Olas Boulevard and the New River is bigger than it used to be, with a parking garage, meeting facilities and a wing of luxurious, new guest rooms.

And it could soon be getting even bigger.

Hotel officials are planning a major expansion project that will stretch across the entire block and encompass 135 new guest rooms, additional banquet facilities, a grand entrance, retail space and a rooftop pool overlooking Fort Lauderdale and beyond.

''It is something that needs to be done,'' said Wells, 58, a major stockholder in the hotel and board member. ``But we're going to keep the charm and protect the history.''

Plans for the project have been submitted to the city, but they have not yet been approved, said Irving Bowen, chairman of the Las Olas Company, which manages the Riverside Hotel.

Bowen said the improvements to the hotel, at 620 E. Las Olas Blvd., are necessary so that it can compete with new high-rises being built near the beach.

''We need to compete in that environment,'' he said.

There is no official price tag on how much it will cost to make the upgrades, Bowen said. If the project is approved, he is hopeful it will be completed by 2009.

In the meantime, the Las Olas Company is working with business owners on the block, who will be feeling the growing pains.

Several businesses near the hotel will have to temporarily relocate or move permanently to make room for additions to the Riverside Hotel, which will stretch east to Eighth Avenue, where an entrance with a curved driveway and fountain will greet guests.

Bowen said he has met with owners of the affected businesses and will help them find another location, possibly in vacant storefronts on Las Olas Boulevard.

The expansion contemplates retail space which, Bowen said, could later be occupied by some of the displaced businesses.

Until the project is given the go-ahead, the owners of Shizen Japanese Cuisine aren't panicking, said restaurant manager Chris McCoy.

''There are rumors flying around about it happening, but we haven't been given any definite answers,'' he said. ``Right now, we're just trying to go month by month, day by day.''

As development continues in downtown Fort Lauderdale, with new condos and office buildings dotting the skyline, the Riverside Hotel has maintained its old charm, with the original tile flooring in the lobby, framed, historical photographs lining the hallways and afternoon tea service.

''It's a very important building in the city's history,'' said Merrilyn Rathbun, research director for the Fort Lauderdale Historical Society.

The hotel's tallest building, which houses the garage, new guest rooms and banquet facilities, is 12 stories, was built during a major expansion in 2002.

The proposed additions will not exceed five stories, Bowen said.

Stranahan House, which neighbors the hotel to the west, is one of Fort Lauderdale's oldest homes, dating back to 1901. Stranahan has been in a years-long legal battle against the developer of a 42-story condo tower planned on an adjacent property, arguing it would diminish the significance of the historic site.

Despite the encroaching growth, it is supportive of the hotel's plans to grow, said Stranahan executive director Barbara Keith.

''We are not against development,'' she said. ``We look forward to their expansion and their improvement. Their success will be our success.''