Scaffolding, plaster and sawdust are seemingly around every corner of the historic Hotel Eutaw on Russell Street.

Light fixtures dangle from ceilings and walls gape open, revealing their interiors and beckoning passersby to peer in and perhaps catch a glimpse of ages gone by.

To the naked eye, the historic building appears to have seen its day. But for Columbia attorney Robert B. Lewis, the building -- like wine -- has gotten better with age and is on the brink of greatness once again.

“It is a great building,” Lewis said Tuesday afternoon. “We are really excited about it.”

Work crews were out in full force this week, continuing the interior renovations on the building with an eye toward transforming the Orangeburg landmark into a retail, restaurant and housing unit.

The building has been vacant for about 14 years.

The six-month, $1.6 million renovation project includes plaster repair and painting, as well as the installation of plumbing, electrical, security, air conditioning, fire suppression and sprinkler systems.

The 28,000-square-foot building is also being up-fitted for high speed Internet access and cable.

The Hotel Eutaw, which has also been called the Russell Street Inn, was purchased in Jan. 2007 by Lewis for $400,000. Lewis owns Columbia-based Lewis/Co. LLC.

Renovations have been underway since the first week of June. They are about 40 percent complete. Roofing and duct work will most likely be done next.

“This has gone smoother than any other project I have worked on,” Lewis said. He has worked on a number of renovation projects, including projects in Columbia’s Vista.

“We have a wonderful crew that is very skilled,” he said.

Plans are to transform the street level of the building into retail shops. Each shop will have about 600 to 800 square feet of space.

He also plans to develop a restaurant seating about 125 in the mezzanine.

The rest of the seven-story building will be converted into 60 apartments with a bedroom and a bathroom. The apartments will average about 320 square feet. A kitchen area will be available on each floor.

The renovations are expected to be complete by November with the apartments ready for occupancy by late December, Lewis said. He hopes the retail shops and restaurants will be operational by December or the first of the year.

“We are looking for a good tenant,” Lewis said. “We believe the type of surroundings and decor will lend itself well to having a good restaurant, perhaps an upscale restaurant.”

Lewis says the restaurant and the mezzanine area could also serve as a place to host catered events such as weddings.

“The biggest problem we have had is to retrofit the building for modern elevators to move people fast enough for what our biggest needs are,” Lewis said. “The old elevators are small and slow and we don’t want to build another elevator shaft.”

Lewis said he has engaged a contractor to upgrade the elevators. That upgrade alone will cost an estimated $300,000.

Lewis has joined California-based Red Curb Investments as a partner in the renovation of the hotel. The architect is Columbia-based Architectural Concepts.

In addition to the former hotel, Lewis has also purchased the Goodyear building next to the hotel with tentative plans to tear the building down for additional parking.

Lewis said initially he had hopes of restoring the Goodyear building but has been unsuccessful in locating other properties for parking.

The Hotel Eutaw was considered one of the most modern and best-equipped hotels in a community of Orangeburg’s size when it opened for business in 1927. For decades, the hotel was renowned for its dining facilities and as a space for wedding receptions and other occasions.

South Carolina State University used the building briefly for student housing in the early 1990s.

Other plans to occupy the building from providing apartments for senior citizens to low-income housing all eventually fell through.

As a veteran attorney, Lewis gave up the practice of law a few years ago to focus on renovating and preserving old buildings — first in his own home of Conway and then the Columbia Vista area. Lewis has received awards from the Historic Columbia Foundation for his work. He has worked on at least a dozen renovation projects in the past six years.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551.

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