Developers plan luxury hotel in basket-shaped building

Developers plan to turn iconic, basket-shaped building in Ohio that was once hequarters for Longaberger Company into a hotel.

One of developers who bought seven-story building in Newark in 2017 anunced plans Monday to transform it into a luxury hotel with 150 rooms, a restaurant and an indoor pool. Officials with Ceres Enterprises, which owns and operates hotels, and with Sandvick Architects joined building co-owner Steve Coon in making anuncement.

Longaberger opened central Ohio building in 1997. company that successfully sold handcrafted baskets for years went out of business in 2018.

Coon says revation work could begin by late next year.

cost estimate was given for revation, but project officials say exterior look of a basket will remain intact.