Thursday, March 2, 2023
AUBURN, Ind. – After months and years of speculation, an iconic building in downtown Auburn has a new owner.
Kevin Minard and the Auburn Development Group finalized the purchase of the Auburn Hotel 
from the Eddy family on Friday, February 24, 2023.
Minard, an Indiana native currently residing in Chicago, said his development group has been working with the Eddy family for the past two to three years on finalizing the purchase of the historic property at the corner of Ninth Street and Main Street.
“We are really excited about the potential this property holds for the City of Auburn,” Minard said. “It's an intriguing old building that has a great deal of history and character, and it’s such a rare privilege to work on something with the intricacy and artisanship of these pre-1900 buildings.”
Minard said he and his partners were attracted to the building out of a passion for historic properties and the unique opportunity to participate in meaningful economic growth in their home state.
"Auburn is a city with rich culture in American industry, from foundries to automobiles and even urban legends of famous figures; the fact that something with this kind of history is located right here in our Hoosier state is exciting in and of itself," Minard said. "The City has extensive plans for future development, and we believe it's truly going to become a one-of-a-kind destination. We are honored to have a grass roots opportunity to play our part in making that vision a reality for Auburn."
After closing on the property, Minard was in town Wednesday addressing maintenance issues in an effort to continue providing commercial space for the current tenants.
“The City is very excited to see the transfer of ownership of the property finalized after years of striving to acquire it,” said Mayor Mike Ley. “We are equally excited about the vision for redevelopment of the property. Congratulations to Mr. Minard and the Auburn Development Group. And welcome to the City of Auburn.”
With no final plans in place, Minard said the commercial properties will continue to operate as-is for the foreseeable future. He and his partners will spend the next six to eight months working with their team of engineers and architects to assesses the structural viability, safety, and potential for the building as they solidify their plans.
“We want to take the time and care to do this in a way that honors the significance of the building in an era-appropriate manner. Our intent is to end up with a structure that will last another 100 years or more, while maintaining or replicating as much original detail as possible,” he said.
Preliminary plans for the building call for continued commercial and retail use on the first floor with residential space on the second and third floors. Minard and team are actively exploring the viability of integrated parking solutions, as well as a potential revival of the high-end hospitality for which the Auburn Hotel was once known.
The Auburn Development Group has also purchased the buildings at 410, 414 and 418 South Main Street next to the Moose Lodge. Plans for this property include removal of the existing structures to make way for a newly constructed building that will include commercial space on the first floor with multi-family housing above.
Demolition work on the four hundred block properties is set to begin in the coming weeks with construction to follow yet this spring.