The interior of a once revered historic downtown Roanoke hotel resembles a construction zone, with chandeliers wrapped in plastic, plywood covering the marble lobby floors and a chill to the air because the heat’s been turned off.

The Patrick Henry Hotel development team opened up the 1925 property on South Jefferson Street to reveal the renovations have happened there since local developer, Ed Walker, purchased the shuttered hotel in October.

But the media and other attendees only were permitted to see the lobby and the hotel’s historic ballroom, which will be used for event space once renovations are complete. Blair Godsey, who is director of commercial leasing for the project, said he’ll offer periodic construction updates each quarter.

The plans for this $14 million project involve landing 126 apartments, offices and retail space inside the 10-floor hotel.

No tenants have signed leases yet, though Godsey said he expects that to happen in the next 90 days. For now, he’s trying to market the building’s 17,000 square feet of office space, which will be centered on the mezzanine and second floor.

Also, there will be 9,300 square foot of retail or restaurant space, and businesses are promised a storefront presence facing Jefferson Street.

Additionally, there will be 14,000 square foot of document storage.

Rental rates for the apartments and details on the amenities that will be offered aren’t yet available, Godsey said. The apartment spaces, formerly hotel rooms, mostly have been cleaned out at this point, he said.

The Patrick Henry project, marketed with the tagline "luxurious space at a landmark address," is expected to be complete by the late summer or fall of 2011.