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The 13-floor Prichard Hotel opened its 300 rooms to travelers in 1926. Most of the building was within sight of the Chesapeake & Ohio passenger train station nearby. Perhaps the hotelòòò½ÊÓƵ™s viability was tied to passenger rail service, which declined as people could afford to travel by car on highways that were built away from central business districts.

The Prichard closed in 1970. It was converted into an apartment building with retail space on the ground floor, but that didnòòò½ÊÓƵ™t work out for the long term.

The building has been vacant for several years, with the problems that brings to the building itself and the neighborhood.

òòò½ÊÓƵ related by HD Media business reporter Fred Pace on Wednesday, the Prichard will be converted into a 108-unit, income-based housing and health center for seniors. The housing will be for people age 62 and older earning up to 60% of the areaòòò½ÊÓƵ™s median income. All tenants will benefit from income-based rental assistance.

The first two floors will include a community health clinic managed by Marshall Health Network for residents and the larger community.

Hospice of Huntington plans to occupy space on the first floor for a medical day center for aging adults in conjunction with a new facility Hospice is planning.

Officials at the ceremony said the project involves remediation and cleanup of environmental issues, preservation construction, restoration and modernization. More than 20 entities were involved with planning the project, and more than 11 funding sources were involved. Preparing the building for occupancy will create more than 200 local jobs, they said.

It was a long, slow process putting together the package of public and private financing. But thatòòò½ÊÓƵ™s how the process is supposed to work to ensure things are done right.

The impact of the project goes beyond the 108 or so people who will live at the Prichard and others who will work there. What downtown Huntington has needed was a large investment showing the area remains relevant in a time of strip malls and rural subdivisions that seek to recreate a city in the country.

Repurposing the Prichard for its new use could take two years. Itòòò½ÊÓƵ™s a big project that will require lots of labor and lots of paperwork. How it will affect downtown Huntington remains to be seen, of course. If the project is as needed and as viable as its investors expect, it should be a net benefit to downtown Huntington and the entire region.