Local & State Headlines

A decaying Heritage

• Planned redevelopment of Albany's Heritage House hotel is at a standstill, held up by legal wrangling.

Carlton Fletcher

ALBANY — From the fifth floor of the city government complex to the board room of the City Commission to the street-level personnel who carry out the marching orders handed down from above, the city of Albany has very publicly declared war on the blight and decay that runs rampant in its historic district.

The poster child for this war sits at 732 W. Oglethorpe Blvd., a festering sore in the heart of the city that officials have labeled “an embarrassment” and “deplorable.” Its name is the Heritage House hotel, and its story is one of consternation and frustration to anyone who has an interest in the future of this once-teeming district.

“That building is a major distraction when you drive down Oglethorpe,” City Manager Alfred Lott said. “Frankly, it’s an embarrassment to the city. We’ve received a number of calls from outraged citizens about the Heritage House, but because of circumstances with the current owner, our hands are tied.

“The owner has submitted a number of plans to renovate the building, but so far they have been dismal failures. The city’s left to wait it out while the case works its way through the system.”

The wait is hard on even the most casual resident. With the facades removed, the hotel’s rooms exposed to traffic on Oglethorpe reveal sheetrock hanging in strips, several with interior studs torn free. The beautiful mahogany staircase that was the pride of the hotel has been removed, and weeds run wild around the building and have begun to sprout through the asphalt parking lot.

Useless electric wires hang like dead snakes, and the once brightly colored sign that proudly displayed the hotel’s name is faded, ripped and flapping in the breeze.

The Heritage House is currently owned by Atlanta developer Marvin Baptiste through his H.G. Management. He bought the property in October 2006 from the General Missionary Baptist Convention of Georgia Inc. with plans to renovate the hotel to its former splendor. Those plans, though, have been beset by bad luck and misfortune.

First came the discovery of asbestos in the structure, which required intervention by the state Environmental Protection Division.

“Before construction could begin, there had to be abatement of the asbestos,” said Dana Hughes, a technical assistant with the EPD’s lead-based paint and asbestos program. “The owner was required to remove all materials containing asbestos, package it properly and deliver it to an appropriate landfill that handles such materials.”

Baptiste said in a phone interview that he had begun the abatement process when he was hit with another major hurdle.

“I do intend to continue the redevelopment of that property,” he said. “But right now I’m in the middle of a legal issue that I feel I have to clear up before I can start back work. One of the men who worked on the project has filed a $750,000 lawsuit claiming that exposure to asbestos at the site made him ill.

“What’s sad is that the man is actually kin to me, and he only worked on the building for four days. And what’s worse is that the attorney who is representing him is ruthless. ... I just don’t see how it’s fair to give a man three-quarters of a million dollars who worked on a project for four days.”

When and if Baptiste clears up his legal issues, he faces more challenges in restarting the project. Under the city’s new blight ordinance, Code Enforcement officials have sent Baptiste notice that he must register the abandoned property and provide a statement of plan for its future use. If he fails to meet those requirements by the deadline, he will be called to Municipal Court.

“He’s either going to comply with our ordinance, or he can talk to a judge,” Code Enforcement Director Mike Tilson said. “The condition of that building is deplorable, and there is certainly growing evidence that it presents a health risk.

“Of course, he still has to clear up his EPD issues before anything is done.”

Hughes said the case has been “put on hold” while the environmental agency works it through a backlog of cases.

“The company that was doing the asbestos abatement, Southern Abatement, did file a request seeking payment because work at the site was halted,” she said. “Our office has completed a followup inspection there, but that report has not been filed, and the agent who made the inspection will not return to the office until next week.”

If these matters are taken care of, Baptiste must go through the process of reapplying for a city demolition permit, according to Senior Albany Development Services Manager Tracy Hester.

“Mr. Baptiste was issued a demolition permit, which is good indefinitely as long as he is making progress with the project,” Hester said. “But there are a couple of caveats: He must start the project within six months of being granted the permit, and he cannot stop the work for a period of six months.

“I haven’t heard anything from Mr. Baptiste in more than a year.”

According to Whit Gunnels with the Dougherty County Tax Department, a construction permit for the Heritage House was issued in August 1967 and work continued through much of 1968. The 215-room hotel opened for business in 1969.

The original owners of the hotel were John Gay, Carl Hamburger and Byron Godwin. Gay was ill Friday and unable to talk about the hotel, and attempts to reach Hamburger were unsuccessful.

Through the 1970s and ’80s, the Heritage House was a popular convention site, dining establishment and night time entertainment venue. Officials estimated in 1995 that the hotel was generating $3.9 million annually in convention business before it was closed. Its use declined through the early ’90s, and the Albany-based Burt Development Co. closed it shortly after buying it for $500,000 in 1994.

Local businessman Harry Willson, who with several partners bought the hotel for $2.084 million in 1990, offered to donate the Heritage House to Albany State College for use as a dormitory, but the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia declined the offer.

“We thought it was a good investment at the time,” Harry Willson’s widow, local businesswoman and philanthropist Jane Willson, said of the hotel. “We realized that we’d made a mistake, and we were glad to sell the place.”

Ironically, shortly after closing the hotel, Burt Development realized a considerable return on its investment when the Heritage House was utilized to house flood victims after the Flood of ’94.

“That building holds a lot of memories for me and I’m sure for a lot more people in Albany,” Hester said. “It was certainly one of the hot places when I used to go out on the town. I’d love to see it back up.”

Unfortunately, that may not happen for quite some time. If Baptiste clears his legal and environmental issues, he still must meet the requirements of the city’s new blight ordinance. And even if he doesn’t, the city would be hesitant to take over the property through eminent domain proceedings, according to Lott.

“Eminent domain is a potential avenue, but if we’re forced to go that route, the city would never recoup the funds it would take to demolish the structure,” the city manager said. “It would take a half-million dollars or more for the asbestos abatement and at least another half-million to demolish the building.

“And the city is limited in what it can do with property taken through eminent domain. You can’t use such property for economic development; it can only be used for the common public good. So, as much as this quagmire has frustrated the city, it appears that our best hope is to let the matter work its way through the court system.”

For his part, Baptiste remains resolute in his plans to develop the property.

“I’m going to continue with this project at the time that I feel that it’s feasible,” he said. “I intend to bring it back as a hotel with luxury suites in the front part of the property and regular hotel rooms in the back. I’ll get the asbestos out, and then at some point continue with the constrution.

“Right now, though, I’m going through the stress of all the negative circumstances related to this project. It’s a challenge, but I’m the kind of person who likes a challenge. Hopefully, I’ll be in a position soon to do this project and move on.”

Hester says he’s been led to believe financial concerns are also a part of Baptiste’s equation. He notes the developers’ failure to pay past fines “for financial reasons.”

“I certainly don’t know his financial situation, but the EPD could give him X number of days to start work (on the asbestos abatement) or be fined,” Hester said. “Of course, if he can’t pay his fines, what are they going to do? They have no interest in owning that property.”

Ward 3 City Commissioner Morris Gurr, whose ward includes the Heritage House property, said he shares the frustration of citizens who have complained about structures like the Heritage House and the vacant ex-Ford dealership building on Slappey Boulevard.

“We’re going through the legal processes, doing all we can,” he said. “It’s a travesty to have structures such as these that look like they belong in downtown Beirut or some Third World country. People say the city should take them over, but I don’t think citizens want (the city) to own properties like these. What we’d like to see is the owners taking civic responsibility.

“I certainly have sympathy for Mr. Baptiste, but that doesn’t take care of our problem.”

Mayor Willie Adams, who has asked Code Enforcement to report to him monthly on any progress made in the Heritage House situation, said the City Commission had put aside funding for demolition of the structure if it indeed falls on Albany to take over the property. But he laments the fact that a solution in this case is not going to be a simple one.

“The condition of that place is deplorable,” he said. “But we have to conform to the legal issues that go along with this case. We’re making headway, but things are moving slow ... much slower than I’d like.

“Citizens can know, though, that this is an issue we are very concerned about. We just have to do it the right way. Despite what people may think, it’s not as simple as going in and tearing that building down. If that was the case, we would’ve done that long ago.”

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