In April, investor Alejandro Millan purchased the century-old Hartsell-Lohr Building, vacant for decades and burdened by more than $216,000 in code enforcement fines.
He hopes to transform the landmark into a mix of retail space, a food hall, and possibly a boutique hotel upstairs — with some portions potentially ready for tenants by next summer.
Millan, a construction contractor who moved to Lakeland from Colombia 12 years ago, also owns the building that houses the Purple Onion deli and grill at 314 N. Kentucky Ave. He said restoring the Hartsell-Lohr Building is partly about investing in the community he now calls home…