A Missouri-based hotel developer recently purchased nearly two acres in downtown Wilmington for $6.8 million.

A deed recorded Monday shows Drury Development Corp. purchased a 1.8-acre tract at 715 Nutt St., just north of the Wilmington Convention Center. According to its website, Drury Development Corp. builds Drury-branded hotels, including Drury Inn & Suites, Drury Plaza Hotel and Pear Tree Inn by Drury.

A representative from Drury Development Corp. declined to comment on Tuesday.

According to records with the N.C. Secretary of State, the corporation’s officers include Charles Drury Jr., Shirley Drury and Timothy Drury, among others, and they list an office address in St. Louis, Missouri, where the private, family-owned corporation is headquartered.

Founded in 1959, Drury Development Corp. built its first hotel in 1973 in Sikeston, Missouri, according to the company’s website. Today, the company has around 150 Drury Hotels locations nationwide. That includes five hotels in North Carolina – one in Burlington, one in Greensboro and three in the Charlotte area.

Local tourism officials have for years said the area is in need of more hotel rooms. They recently told the Business Journal the need is greatest in the Wilmington Convention District along the riverfront to accommodate the increasing demand from Wilmington Convention Center meetings and events.

The Nutt Street property was previously owned by Almont LLC, an entity registered to Thomas Saieed Jr. of Raleigh-based firm Dewitt Carolinas. The firm developed the nearby apartment complex Pier 33, breaking ground on the project in 2019. 

Pier 33 LLC purchased the land at 715 Nutt St., along with several adjacent parcels, in a $7 million transaction in September 2015, property records show.

In March, New Hanover County issued a land disturbance permit for the site. The area is considered a brownfield site because it was formerly occupied by Almont Shipping Co., which for decades stored and shipped materials in bulk along the downtown riverfront.