Hotel and restaurant coming to Beloit

BELOIT, Wis. (WIFR) -- Downtown Beloit will soon be getting a new hotel and restaurant.

Construction at 500 Public Ave., which currently houses Visit Beloit and Blackhawk Community Credit Union, is set to start in 2018. HCP currently owns the building and will be adding Hotel Goodwin and Velvet Buffalo Cafe.

Hotel Goodwin is named after a 19th-century luxury hotel, Goodwin House, which was in downtown Beloit until 1904. It will feature 34 guest rooms, including two suites and a fitness center, while also offering a rooftop meeting room with an outdoor terrace. The hotel will be across the street from the HCP-owned Ironworks Hotel and Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint.

Velvet Buffalo Cafe is a project of Geronimo Hospitality Group, which also owns Merrill & Houston's Steak Joint. The cafe is described as a European cafe with subtle contemporary nuances. It is scheduled to be open seven days a week and provide catered events at the rooftop space at Hotel Goodwin.