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By Beth Treffeisen
For over 100 hundred years, the Hampton Beach Casino in New Hampshire has been a hub of the summer community. 
As the building begins to show its age, the owners, Sal Lupoli and Fred Schaake, are vying to redo the entire beachfront complex, with a vision including a 500-room hotel, conference space, shops, restaurants, and a 1,500-space parking garage. 
According to the New Hampshire Union Leader, the project is estimated to cost $600 million. 
At a March 20 Planning Board meeting, Schaake said the aim is to create a “nice year-round destination.” 
But he said the building needs a lot of work right now. Steel parts are corroding, the wood is decaying, and parts of the complex are uninhabitable. The building also suffered from a significant fire eight years ago and has flooding problems. 
Since the building was constructed over various years and connected, it has a choppy floor plan with different heights, making it inaccessible to many, said Rick Friberg, an engineer at TEC Inc., at the meeting. 
“The building has gotten to the point where it has outlived its intended time,” Schaake said at the meeting. “We can’t put any more duct tape or Band-Aids on it. We need to do something, and we’re looking to redevelop the property so it continues for another 100-plus years.” 
According to the Casino Ballroom’s website, the Hampton Beach Casino, a two-story wood-framed building, opened its doors in July 1899 as a social gathering place for dance, music, and gambling. It soon expanded to construct a 57-room hotel called the Ocean House. 
Unlike today’s casinos, the venue offered a family-friendly atmosphere, which included a penny arcade, merry-go-round, and shooting range. 
In 1927, the Casino Ballroom opened, beginning the era of big-name performances, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Bing Crosby. By the ’60s, rock ‘n’ roll took over with acts such as Peter, Paul & Mary, The Beach Boys, The Who, and Jethro Tull. 
Schaake’s father, as a partner, purchased the property in 1976. Schaake has been involved with the property for 50 years and owns and operates the Casino Ballroom.
Now, Schaake wants to double the size of concerts to hold up to 3,500 people at the venue as he partners with Lupoli to redo the entire block. 
Friberg said at the meeting that the hotel, entertainment, and retail complex aims to be the central attraction for the beach year-round. 
To do that, the current complex, which hosts fire and public safety hazards, needs to go. 
“It is time to do something now,” said Friberg. 
The outside will get a makeover, with courtyards and green barriers to help with pedestrian safety. The plans include incorporating the 300 parking spaces inside the new building into a multi-level structure with 1,500 spaces. 
The initial plans include removing D Street to accommodate the 500-room hotel and conference space, which would be on top of two floors of restaurants and retail space. 
The plans also include flooding resiliency to prepare the structure for the inevitable storm, with no finished floor space on the lower level and mechanical equipment and amenities placed on higher floors. 
The structure, as proposed, would be around seven stories at its tallest point. 
“This is one big kahuna,” said Planning Board member Ward Galanis at the meeting. 
Planning Board member Keith Lessard wished the designs looked more nostalgic or reminiscent of Northeast beach towns. 
In response, Friberg said this was the “first crack” at the design and that he would be back with updates. 
Nancy Stiles, chairwoman of the Hampton Beach Area Commission, expressed her enthusiasm for the project, saying now is the time to promote the area with more year-round businesses. 
“Good luck and get to work,” she said. 
Up next is gaining approval for variances from the Zoning Board of Appeals. Later in the process, they will return to the Planning Board for a vote. 
Friberg estimates the project will take about three years to complete once construction starts.
Boston.com did not hear back from either of the owners or the engineer Friberg by the time of publication.  
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