Development on the Grand Square, a new hotel near Center Square in downtown Easton, Pennsylvania, began on Sept. 15. The hotel is expected to open in 2026.
Construction plans include demolishing parts of the historic building that currently occupies the site, a space previously home to the now-defunct One Center Square music venue. According to Dwayne Tillman, the director of planning and codes for the city of Easton, the building’s historic tile facade will be preserved and incorporated into the face of the new hotel building.
The starting date of construction has not yet been set in stone as the city has not received the permits for the build, according to Tillman. He believes that the permits will be submitted “within the next month or two.”
The Grand Square is expected to include hotel rooms, event spaces, a rooftop venue and two ground-floor restaurants, according to Mick Gjevukaj, the founder of the company behind the hotel’s development, Gusto Hospitality Group.
Gjevukaj hopes that the hotel will cater to a wide variety of guests, including tourists, visitors on business trips, wedding parties and families of Lafayette students.
Multiple businesses near the future Grand Square location supported the new hotel.
“I think a new hotel is much needed for the downtown and for Easton in general,” said Adam Fairchild, the owner of Easton Outdoor Company. “In years past, people either go to the Lafayette Inn or they go to the Grand Eastonian. Once those places fill up, then the rest of the people have to find lodging somewhere else, which is typically outside of Easton.”
“Having another option, I think, is going to be good,” said Erica Fisher, the owner of Yellow Balloon Consignment. “It just needs to be constructed in a way that is aesthetically pleasing to downtown historic Easton.”
However, the hotel’s construction has raised some concerns regarding parking and access to pedestrians.
“I think the biggest thing was parking,” Tillman said, referring to the concerns raised by the Easton community regarding the hotel. “We have parking issues with every project that is undertaken within the downtown district.”
“My concerns really are just in the near term,” Fairchild said. “The sidewalk is closed off on my side of the street and that will hinder foot traffic, especially from visitors.”
Gjevukaj hopes that the Grand Square can be an opportunity for increased collaboration with Lafayette. Among the projects he is considering are saving banquet rooms for graduation celebrations and hanging student art in hotel spaces.
“I’m open to and willing to incorporate the ideas of Lafayette,” Gjevukaj said.
