OK Augusta - don't screw this up. Demo the building and let's move on!
A major change to downtown Augusta's skyline will come in the form of a new hotel complex if the Historic Preservation Commission gives the go-ahead next week.
Planning Commissioner George Patty said a national developer wants to build a six- to seven-story hotel with underground parking, condominiums and retail space on five parcels at Ninth and Reynolds streets. The properties include the old police station, owned by Hull Storey Development; the row of warehouses that run from Broad Street to Reynolds Street next to Augusta Common, owned by businessman Julian Osbon; and one other property fronting Broad Street, belonging to Dickey J. Boardman.
"It's a big deal," Mr. Patty said. "It's the biggest deal we've had around here in a long time."
The old police station was built in 1935 for "upwards of $120,000," and referred to as the "new police barracks," according to the Sept. 1, 1935, edition of The Augusta Chronicle . It was opened to the public Sept. 4, after a "huge barbecue" at Julian Smith Park.
A public hearing on demolishing the police station and warehouses will be at 5:30 p.m. Thursday on the eighth floor of the Municipal Building.
Historic Preservation Commission Chairman Mark Lorah said the commission has been involved in the project with the developers and will approve or disapprove the project "with regard to size, scope, scale and demolitions.
"Once the street-scape and facade are more well-developed by the architect and developer, we reserve the right to review and approve the facade at a later date," he said.
Mr. Lorah said the commission would prefer the buildings be saved and re-purposed, but that might not be in the best interest of the city as a whole.
"We are working with the developer and designers to come up with a reasonable compromise," he said.
Reach Sylvia Cooper at (706) 823-3228 or sylvia.cooper@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
OK Augusta - don't screw this up. Demo the building and let's move on!
On the one hand the City proposes to do what private money should do and build a stadium. On the other a quasi-government agency threatens to halt a private money project that will improve downtown. In the name of saving a 70 yr old non-descript brick building. What is wrong with this picture?
I'm all for saving historic buildings and saving the character of the old city, but a 1935 structure hardly qualifies as historic.
If the Historic Preservation Commission is actually worried about historic preservation, shouldn't they have ready turned the building into a museum honoring faalen police officers in the line of duty, not only for Richmond County, "The Old City of Augusta, but for the entire CSRA.
This could be the best thing for the city of Augusta in a long time. I'm all for historical preservation when there is an actual reason to save something (i.e. Sacred Heart) but this is just an old police station/jail that has sat in disrepair for decades. It's not even an attractive building and if the Historical nuts wanted something done with it they should have bought it themselves.
take it down and come back with a building that is architechtually compatible with the rest of the area.
it is that simple!
There are buildings of historic significance, which should be saved and buildings which are simply old. The jail is simply old.
I don't know if the hotel would be a success, but even if it fails an empty new building would be better looking than an empty old building.
This is what we need SELL THEM...
I worked many hours in that building. It is a piece of livng history. If only the walls could talk. That building once hosted city court. It should be preserved.
Sarge, I'd bet that a large majority of people that visited the jail do not share your fond memories of the time they spent there.
talk about a no brainer. this project should have been approved immediately.
It's about time. The people that own the property downtown knew someone "was gone come a knockin'." As for the developer, seems they realized all the business was going out of town during the Masters tournament. If this gets passed, along with the TEE center and a ballpark, it will make Downtown Augusta look very nice.
Wow. Augusta can really miss the point. To why worry: the HPC has no money, no budget, and is a completely volunteer organization to help ensure that as Augusta grows we don’t forget our past. The purpose of the HPC is not just look at short term gains, but what kind of legacy we will leave the future. To most of the rest: historic preservation is about incorporating the past as Augusta moves forward. Developers, working in historic areas, should preserve the past in their plans for the future and that is what the HPC does. Augusta is quick to call itself a historic city, but we are quickly becoming a city that has lost its history. All citizens should learn more about their government. Then, those who are content to complain in the paper might see that there are some really good people working hard to make Augusta great for all of us.
SargentMidTown write a book and let the building go away.
How do you suppose Atlanta could be what it is if they worried about every single structure?
This sounds great but whatever happened to the Watermark Condo/Hotel project? These developers seem to get a great deal on the land, change the zoning, get variances and whatever accommodations they want, then fade away......
I wonder if the plan is to bait the city with promises then sell the property with the improvements and keep the investment by the City? Watch this one very close.
We have lost the history as we all know it will never return.
The watermark is expected to break ground this year ken m. It will be a great benefit to the downtown area.
iletuknow not really. Augusta has saved the miller theatre, sibley mill, and the king mill. Not to mention the whites building is being restored by a atlanta developer now. It will open in early april. Thats pretty good compared to most cities augusta size.
The old jsail is a sad looking building with no great architectural merit, but some of those warehouses are very,very old and should be preserved as part of the complex. They can be incorporated into the overall project as hotel rooms or townhouse condominiums. A similar proposal was made in Charleston in 1988 to demolish antebellum warehouses to build a hotel. The Save Charleston Foundation was formed and stopped the development. Today the entire grouping of buildings are now the Lodge Alley Inn.Check it out on the web. There is no reason for Augusta to destroy that which gives it its charm so that it can look like>>>>>Atlanta????What a horrible vision for our future!
What history have we lost that not the only building thats historic. Its meaningless it just sit there. That is one of the biggest eyesores in downtown. This project would be perfect, because how long that building has been there and never touch, decades. Then how long would it take for another developer to invest in that particular property, probably decades. I hope they take advantage of this quickly. I hear that some people say we lost our history but somebody please tell me or explain what history have we lost????
Besides I think when you turn something like the old jail or train depot into something that it never was, the history is pretty much gone. Don't get me wrong I like what they are going to do to the old train depot turing into shops and such. But if you can't restore what it orginally was as a train depot than nobody wouldn't know what it use to be unless they ask. But in this situation about this jail and warehouses its got to go!! Plus I didn't even know those buildings were historic I thought they were up for sale or abandoned.
Hey, let them build it. That will give me a third time to stay at that location overnight, with better food, beds, and friendly service!
Who cares about the memories of the jail/court house. They took some of my money in my teenage years with parking tickets etc. The drunks that spent the night in jail certainly do not care. Build something nice and get rid of the old buildings. Mark, maybe they will give you your first night free.
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