PERRY, Ga. — Plans have circulated for development at the historic New Perry Hotel. If you pass by the building now, you may have noticed that the name is no longer on the building.
It's stood tall for 99 years, and folks in the city reminisce about visiting.
"Twice a year we would go to the hotel to have Sunday dinner, and I recall the fried chicken being really good," Dan Arledge said.
He says many people he knows have memories there too.
"It's a well built structure, I hope they turn it back into a hotel," he said.
There is speculation it's being torn down all together. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places. Some people think that means it's safe from demolition, but being on the register does not guarantee full protection.
"We're kind of anxious to see what the owners are going to do with the new building," Lynn Matthews shared.
Everyday Matthews and Athena Richardson can see the structure as they sell their floral and clothing goods. Matthews, a florist, is the owner of Recollections by Lynn.
"We sell fresh flowers. We sell silks, arrangements, wreaths, plants," Matthews shared.
Richardson is the owner of Brittany Rae's Custom Shop.
"We can make one t-shirt with a custom design or we can make $5,000. We can do tumblers. Merch for customers for businesses," she said.
They say customers often come in and ask about the building, and they share it's history. They're hoping to see it turned into something again.
"I would like to see a restaurant a wedding venue maybe the court yard in the back use that for the weddings," Matthews said.
At this time, no type of development plans have been submitted to the city's Community Development office.
According to the city, the owners have submitted a Certificate of appropriateness for demolition on part of the property. The Main Street Advisory Board will discuss that request at their June 6 meeting.
We did try to get more information from the new owners, but were unsuccessful.