If a buyer or developer isn't found soon for Winder's old Granite Hotel, it may be torn down.
That was the message Monday from the Winder City Council as it debated a number of "eyesore" issues in town.
City administrator Don Toms said there have been some inquiries about the Granite Hotel, but no solid proposals.
Toms said his biggest fear is that a company will take the building from the city at little cost and then sit on it hoping to profit from resale rather than redeveloping it.
“Because the building itself is not sturdy, I’m afraid the longer it sits there, any severe weather that comes along may weaken it more,” Toms said.
So while the DDA continues to try to market the site for redevelopment, he said he would research the cost of demolishing it.
For more details on the Granite Hotel and other city issues, see the March 9 issue of the Barrow Journal.
The hotel roof is not collapsed fireman, it was removed by the shister company that the city of Winder hired to "renovate" the building. Because of that the responsibility falls on the City of Winder to make it right.
This is one of the last buildings remaining that has granite from Stone Mountain, this doesn't effect Winder, it effects the state of Georgia. We have a responsibility to preserve our state's history, and this building is part of that history. This building should stay and not become a park...you want a park tear down the useless gazebo.
Here is my thoughts... Tear the thing down as well as the NAPA, The service station and the Wannabe BBQ joint and fix the traffic problems coming off of 211..
Oh yea, while I'm here making everybody mad, the Peskins Building needs to go too. When I walked by it last week, The display windows had moss growing on the carpet.
It would be ashame to tear it down without even trying to consult or get a grant from State of Georgia or even the city of Stone Mountain. If you don't know this already, your history is you link to the past. While we are able to, we need to preserve the historical buildings. By the way, the destruction of the 100 year old church was a phenominally stupid idea. I think that when you are faced with spending $1 mil on a roof on a church that has stood for a hundred years, or spending the equivalent (or more) on a new property to build a new church, it sounds unwise and like your not being a good steward.
We passed on at least one deal to save the building. Once gone none of the Historic Buildings will ever, EVER be rebuilt, gone forever, no change of heart. Winder has lost many of its Downtown Buildings in the past already. The Granite Hotel was not the only hotel in town, it is historic but mainly it is Not an eyesore (but it might not be so safe). What is the parking deck for? We moved 80% of the Courthouse Operations to "out in the woods", Partee's Service Station is the last of it's kind (the LAST FULL SERVICE Station left), We don’t even build parks when we have vacant lots, now we need a park in downtown? I say restore them all. Get SCAD to come up to Winder, they have done great works in Savannah (and other places like New York City, etc) --lets start a remote SCAD Campus and see if we can restore and retain some of our aging Downtown. MANY cities have no "real" downtowns and we want to doze ours further under. Food for thought.
(Note: SCAD is the Savannah College of Art & Design which as projects has restored large run-down houses & buildings all over historical Savannah & the U.S.)