Downtown Cary’s Mayton Inn taking shape

Construction crews have yet to lay more than a few bricks at The Mayton Inn, but its owners are starting to build interest in what’s to come.

The boutique hotel, which isn’t expected to open until early next year, recently booked its first wedding reservations, said Colin Crossman, who owns the project with his wife, Deanna. He said the couple committed booking the wedding at The Mayton Inn after visiting The King’s Daughters Inn in Durham, which the Crossmans bought in 2008.

“It’s still early, because the buildings still doesn’t have an exterior shell,” Colin Crossman said. “So people will have to envision it.”

The Mayton Inn is a $9.5 million project at the corner of Park and Academy streets that will feature a four-story, 55,000-square-foot building with 44 rooms. There also will be a separate bridal suite, known as the Waldo Rood house, and a historic home known as the Mayton House, where the Crossmans will move upon completion of the project.

Cary Town Council members hope the inn will enhance their ongoing efforts to revitalize downtown. Last year, they awarded $1.4 million in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development loan money to the Crossmans under the condition that they create at least 40 jobs for low-to-moderate income families.

The Crossmans, who are given two years from the inn’s opening date to make the hires, plan to begin interviews later this year. Crossman said he expects to meet that condition “very easily” and may need to hire more than 50 employees.

They had hoped to open The Mayton Inn in June, but the project was pushed back by rainy weather. They started taking wedding reservations in May, but don’t plan to start accepting hotel reservations until later this year.

“We’re in a position to be independent from weather yet,” Crossman said.

Despite the setback, Crossman said details of the The Mayton Inn are coming into focus.

The Crossmans recently named the restaurant and bar that will be located in the hotel. The restaurant and bar will be open to the public – not just overnight guests.

The restaurant will be known as The Veranda, and the bar will be known as Highball, Crossman said. The couple hopes to hire an executive chef as their next big move.

The bar name is a nod to Cary’s history as a train city. A steam engine train traveling at a top speed was known as “highballing,” he said. He envisions Highball as a bar similar to The Crunkleton in Chapel Hill and Fox Liquor in Raleigh, which carry a mix of craft brews and innovative cocktails.

The Veranda restaurant will offer Southern comfort food “done in a nicer, higher-end way, but not crazy,” Crossman said.

“We’re not competing with the Umstead,” he added, referring to the Cary hotel that has a fine-dining restaurant.

The Mayton Inn will share the same rich colors as the modern art deco theme that’s featured in The King’s Daughters Inn. The King’s Daughters Inn is well regarded on online rating sites such as Trip Advisor and Yelp.

Ted Boyd, Cary’s downtown manager, said he thinks The Mayton Inn could achieve the same level of prestige. The hotel and Academy streetscape improvements will complement each other, Boyd said.

The town recently kicked off a year-long effort to redevelop the road and sidewalks down south Academy. Construction on the east side of the street, where The Mayton Inn sits, should be finished by the time the hotel opens, he said.

“There’s really good coordination between (the Crossmans) and our contractor,” he said.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/community/cary-news/article26996635.html

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