Abandoned hotel demolition to help make way for rejuvenation of several Downtown blocks

For more than a decade, a Macon hotel has sat vacant…attracting theft and vandalism, filling with water in lower areas at times, growing mold, and causing other issues that are not part of a rejuvenating, strengthening, and thriving Downtown. Several groups have tried over the years to bring the property back to life and capitalize on the ongoing and increasing success of Downtown, but none of those plans have come to fruition.

"It was time to recognize that, if that area of Downtown was to benefit as other areas have, we needed to rethink that area and take a more direct role in its future," says Mayor Lester Miller. "That area of First Street and Riverside Drive have such great potential as a gateway to our Downtown, the amount of available space, and the interest in developments across the street…that we knew the opportunity was there to have a huge impact on the future of our city."

Now, Macon-Bibb County, partner agencies, and Target Contractors are preparing to implode the 16-story hotel that sits in the block bordered by Riverside Drive, First Street, and Walnut Street. The current building had undergone multiple rounds of attempts to renovate it, but there are too many challenges in the outdated design and lack of meeting current fire and safety codes to make renovation viable. There's also too much damage to the building itself from not being used for so long.

"The ceilings are too low for central heating and air to be installed, the parking deck underneath floods whenever it rains too much, there are large holes in sections of the roof, and so much more," says Alex Morrison, Executive Director of the Urban Development Authority. "The best path forward is to clear the site and find a developer to build something that will truly move our Downtown forward."

On Wednesday, November 20, Target Contractors began meeting with government and utility officials to begin planning for everything that needed to happen to implode the hotel around New Year's Eve. That includes plans for health and safety, site control, and access, fire safety, dust control, environmental protection, traffic control, site cleanup, debris removal, and noise, shockwave, and vibration control…and more…all to make it a safe.

Officials and contractors will begin meeting with area businesses to discuss the plans, answer questions, determine what more information is needed, and announce safety measures and timing to the public. There are plans to hold a forum for the area so information can be presented and give people a chance to answer questions, and officials are already exploring areas that would provide people the best and safest place to watch.

"We want to get as much information to the public as possible to make sure people and property are safe, and to provide people a way to watch this historic moment," says Chief Communications Officer Chris Floore. "This is going to be quite the sight, and with so many people having a connection to or memories of this building, we want to give them a chance to say goodbye…and then hello to what's coming next."

This demolition and future development are in addition to the future development of the property across Riverside Drive, as well as the Urban Development Authority acquiring the former Macon Health Club and other buildings down First Street. The latter was done for a similar reason as the acquisition of the old hotel: to take a more coordinated approach to rejuvenating several blocks of Downtown, bringing them all back to life. To read more about the future of the other buildings on First Street, including the former Macon Health Club, click here.