photo by: Christopher Dacanay

Bill Williams, former owner of the Sleep Inn and Suites, second from right, shakes hands with the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR friar and president of Franciscan University of Steubenville, on Thursday after signing a purchase agreement that transferred the hotel’s ownership to the university.

Representatives of Franciscan University of Steubenville and the Sleep Inn and Suites signed a purchase agreement Thursday, transferring ownership of the hotel facility to the university, which announced plans to turn the property into a men’s residence hall.

“This is another opportunity to be able to celebrate — celebrate growth, celebrate new life, celebrate conversion,” said the Rev. Dave Pivonka, TOR, president of the university, who signed the agreement that transferred ownership of the building from its former owner, Bill Williams.

A release from the university said the soon-to-be hall, located at 875 University Blvd. and downhill of the university’s main campus, would house 140 male students and be ready for use by the fall semester.

Dan Dentino, vice president of student life at Franciscan, told attendees at the signing that the new hall, named Blessed Solanus Casey Hall, will offer a “unique residential experience,” with amenities including a weight room and grab-and-go food options. The unique amenities, Dentino said, will accompany the university’s standard residential qualities, such as live-in residential staff, a chaplain and on-wing men’s and women’s groups called households. The university has plans to include a chapel in the residence, a feature included in all of the university’s residence halls.

The university also is working to plan large-scale events to make the hall a secondary hub for students, Dentino said. For the property’s large outdoor space, plans include the construction of two pickleball courts, a basketball court, a turf field, two hammock villages and a patio with fire pits overlooking the Ohio River, which Dentino called “the best view on campus.”

Additionally, the university’s release said the hall will include a grotto dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as well as large rooms for students and private bathrooms.

Phil Rook, director of real estate development at Franciscan, said after the signing that a newly implemented shuttle service provided by Heavenly Coach of Steubenville will connect the new hall, and the university’s other existing residence halls at the foot of the hill, with Franciscan’s hilltop campus.

Construction has already begun on a sidewalk to connect the hall with campus, Rook added. The sidewalk will run alongside the hill and connect with Franciscan’s St. Bonaventure Hall. New light posts, emergency phone towers and security cameras will dot the new sidewalk, Rook added.

Rook said discussions about a new hall began last fall, when the university projected its influx of students would leave it over capacity in terms of residence. Rook said that after looking at different options, the university began initial conversations with Williams in the fall, and discussions had become more concrete by February.

Williams spoke before the signing, saying he had grown to love Steubenville, viewing it as the “gateway” from Western Pennsylvania into Ohio. After surveying multiple locations, Williams said, he had settled on developing the site of the former Sleep Inn and Suites, which had originally been the location of a bowling alley.

Williams said he gives credit to Brenan Pergi, vice president of operations at Franciscan, for convincing him to sell the property. He recalled the work and funds he spent on the property, as well as the franchise termination fee.