The most recent death sentence for the Granite Hotel is simply another in a long line of obstacles the old structure has had to endure.
So many times the building has been written off, its death sentence signed, only to have a last minute reprieve. Many are hoping that will be the case this time although there’s no denying some wish the building, or what’s left of it, would simply leave the downtown Winder landscape.
You have to admire the group of dedicated people who have fought to preserve this location. Their passion is admirable. They believe in the storied past of the Granite Hotel and contend, rightfully so, that if it goes, so goes a piece of local history. Their efforts, quite frankly, are the only thing which still have the building upright.
here’s another side to the Granite Hotel story, however, and one that has never been explained to my satisfaction. Why has the building been allowed to deteriorate to its current condition? It would take millions to adequately fix it at this point and that has caused many who might have been interested in investing in it to back away. To be honest, it would be much cheaper to tear the building down and start over, history aside.
It’s obvious to anyone who can see that city officials did not make the owners keep the building up to any kind of code. The city, which now owns it, has also failed to do anything with the building as it continues to crumble upon itself year after year.
It seems there is a double standard at work inside the city. While some business owners are made to follow code enforcement down to every “I” being dotted and every “T “being crossed, others are allowed to do absolutely nothing. One prime example is the old Peskins Building in the downtown area, an absolute embarrassment if ever there was one. Nothing has been done to this location in terms of upkeep yet one business owner in the downtown area who has poured a good deal of money into making his location viable was told recently the outside of his location didn’t go with the downtown area. Huh?
This all goes back to the Granite Hotel which needs a couple of miracles to survive. Even if the city decides not to demolish it, what will be done with it? Taxpayers should not be responsible for the funds it would take to fix it and I don’t see too many investors being able to buy it and preserve what’s there.
The solution to all of this was to not have allowed it to get to this point in the first place. This falls at the feet of those who owned it and the city for not enforcing existing codes. If the state the Granite Hotel is in today does not violate city codes, then some new codes need to be passed.
No doubt those wishing to save it will press on with their campaign to do so. I admire the awareness they have tried to bring about the structure. I’ve learned a great deal from them and wish something could be done at the 11th hour to keep the Granite Hotel with us. It is an important part of downtown history and one that should be preserved. However, the task of preserving it may prove impossible at this point.
Regardless of what happens to this location, let’s hope city officials don’t continue to allow some property owners to neglect their responsibilities in terms of ownership. That’s the real issue here. The Granite Hotel should have never reached the state of disrepair it’s in.
And if someone has a legitimate answer for why it is in its current condition then I would be glad to hear it. I’ve been asking for a long time without much success in getting an answer.
Chris Bridges is editor of the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at cbridges@barrowjournal.com.
Have they speculated how much the proposed demolition is going to cost? I mean I understand that the Granite Hotel is in bad shape and is going to cost millions of dollars to repair, but if it is not going to fall over why waste the money on razing the building? Has anyone said that they want to build something there?
I just do not see the point of spending money on something if there is no money to be made on it. New grants come out each and every year and some of them have strange requirements. Who knows if an old historic hotel fund won't pop up in the future?
And yes I completely agree that the building should never been allowed to get to the point it is at. If they demo this building is EVERY old and worn out building in downtown going to be demolished?
But I guess we'd rather entertain a bunch of illegals selling fake goods, nascar toys, used clothing, and motorcycle clubs. VERY cosmopolitan. For the record, Id love to seee downtown restored to its glory, (Im a business owner a block over) but I do recognize when its time to move on, for the granite hotel, Peskins, and others.. it time.