ATLANTA (June 23, 2020) — Hatteras Sky, a commercial real estate development firm, has announced plans for Zelda Dearest, an adaptive re-use boutique hotel development that will feature 20 guest rooms in Asheville’s South Slope neighborhood. The Zelda Dearest hotel will debut the company’s Fitzgerald Estate hotel portfolio and pay homage to the author, artist and icon Zelda Fitzgerald and her husband, author F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Fitzgeralds, particularly Zelda, had a special relationship with Asheville. Having vacationed, lived and – in Zelda’s case – died tragically there, the Fitzgeralds left their mark on a city already enamored with their literary works, legendary personalities and well-documented adventures. The Zelda Dearest project is located within walking distance of a variety of the city’s best culinary and entertainment venues, as well as local wine and spirits destinations. Zelda Dearest is expected to open its doors in the spring of 2022.
“The Hatteras Sky team is excited to add to the city’s storied relationship with the Fitzgeralds through our first Fitzgerald hotel, Zelda Dearest,” said Jason Cordon, founding partner and CEO of Hatteras Sky. “As Asheville’s official hotelier of the Fitzgerald estate, we are working closely with the estate to facilitate an authentic connection to Zelda and Scott for guests and Ashevillians alike.”
Located on Biltmore Avenue, the independently branded and operated hotel will preserve and re-energize three of Asheville’s most notable historic downtown homes. Plans for Zelda Dearest include construction of outdoor spaces such as a wedding/event patio, a game lawn, gardens, fire pits and onsite visitor parking. The boutique hotel’s interior will be inspired by the timeless elegance associated with the Fitzgeralds’ lives and literary works.
Award winning chef and Asheville local Jacob Sessoms, whose newest restaurant Cultura has been nominated for a 2020 James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in the nation, is set to oversee the hotel’s onsite catering and food and beverage operations. “I’m excited to work with Hatteras Sky on this adaptive re-development project,” said Jacob Sessoms, Director of Operations, Food & Beverage for Hatteras Sky’s Asheville portfolio. “The team wants to see Asheville move in a way that caters to our culture and our present but also the history here. The Zelda Dearest project brings a boutique hotel option to our city that reflects why this place is so important, and why our history deserves to be recognized for generations to come.”
Zelda Dearest is the first of Hatteras Sky’s planned historic redevelopments in Asheville, with additional projects planned for the Downtown and River Arts District neighborhoods.
ABOUT HATTERAS SKY
Hatteras Sky is a commercial real estate development firm based in Atlanta that was founded by Jason Cordon and Amy Kelly. The group specializes in tax-incentivized and conventional development, focusing on opportunity zones, affordable housing, and historic rehabilitation. For more information about the firm and its team, please visit the main Hatteras Sky website.