The long anticipated Elyton Hotel will open next week in one of Birmingham's most iconic historic buildings.

The 1909 Empire Building will gain new life on Wednesday, July 12 as the Elyton Hotel, a 111-room luxury hotel that will be part of Marriott's Autograph Collection.

The 16-floor building has sat vacant at the corner of First Avenue North and 20th Street North since 2009 when Colonial Bank moved out of the building. As new tenants began moving into vacant buildings in downtown Birmingham, Buford, Georgia-based Ascent Hospitality snatched up the Empire Building in 2015 along with two neighboring buildings it planned to turn into two Marriott hotels, a restaurant, event space and a rooftop bar in a $45 million overhaul.

"Elyton Hotel is a celebration of the vibrant spirit of the new Birmingham," Ascent's President John Tampa said in a press release. "It's one that continues to inspire the city it epitomizes. The new hotel draws on a storied heritage and a vivid present to create an experience that is wonderfully authentic, richly textured and deeply individual."

Elyton's restaurant, The Yard, as well as its rooftop bar Moon Shine, will open on Wednesday, July 19.

Each room has a 49-inch high definition flat screen TV and complimentary wifi. Each also has a "smart fridge" - meaning the fridges won't use full power to refrigerate until something is put inside it, saving energy. It'll also have a 710-square-foot gym and 4,000 square feet of event space. Fifty people will work in the Eltyon.

Haller Magee, formerly the head chef at Satterfield's Restaurant and at Sky Castle,will be the executive chef of the Yard and Moon Shine. The Yard will serve Southern progressive food with global influences and use local and seasonal ingredients. The main entrance will be on 20th street and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The building was originally planned to be called the Empire Hotel. It rebranded as the Elyton this spring, honoring the former town of Elyton, a center for trade and government in central Alabama until the county seat until 1873.

The only other Autograph hotel in the area is Mountain Brook's Grand Bohemian Hotel in Lane Parke. There are more than 100 autograph hotels wordwide, and the concept is that each hotel will be different from each other and from other hotels.