HAWKINSVILLE, Ga. — On Thursday, leaders in Hawkinsville will gather to formally open new apartments that used to be Taylor Memorial Hospital.
After the hospital moved to a new building in 1977, the building sat vacant and fell into disrepair. That is until a company stepped in to fix up the old building.
"My parents took me when I was 12-years-old for the dedication ceremony," Sam Way said.
Way says he remembers this old hospital being built. It was the first and only hospital in Hawkinsville.
"What a highlight it was to have a gift like this given in the depths of the depression," Way said.
For people like Way, this is where new family members entered the world.
"Most of my family, my mother's family in particular, was born in this hospital," Sole Commissioner Jenna Mashburn said.
"I was born in this building," Commissioner Shelly Berryhill said.
The Chamber says in 1977, the hospital closed and over the years, the building fell into disrepair.
"There was a group at one point that was going to come in and try to make an office or business complex out of it, and the funding just ran out, and they started getting into the interior of the building and there was much more damage and much more that had to be done," Mashburn said.
According to Berryhill, there was no pulse for the iconic building until a residential developer pumped $11.2 million into Taylor Village.
"Finally through some state assistance with DCA, TBG residential out of Atlanta came in and has redeveloped this property, brought it back to its glory days," Berryhill said.
All of the units at Taylor Village are income-based. Commissioner Shelly Berryhill says the 64 apartments address a larger problem in rural communities.
"We do having a housing shortage -- always have -- and hopefully always will to the degree of the fact we are bringing in jobs," Berryhill said.
The apartments even feature an old operating room that is now a living room. With the old hospital open for a new purpose, many in town are ecstatic.
"It is certainly rewarding to see it find a new purpose," Way said.
"It makes me feel very proud to see that so much is being reinvested into our community, into Hawkinsville, bringing back some life," Mashburn said.
Now if you'd like to tour the old hospital, a ribbon cutting is happening at 11 a.m. along Golden Isles Parkway. County leaders will make remarks and give tours of the complex.
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE READING
STAY ALERT | Download our FREE app now to receive breaking news and weather alerts. You can find the app on the Apple Store and Google Play.
STAY UPDATED | Click here to subscribe to our Midday Minute newsletter and receive the latest headlines and information in your inbox every day.
Have a news tip? Email news@13wmaz.com, or visit our Facebook page.