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NEWS
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Bainbridge Receives
Grant for Bon Air Balcony
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You could say that the
city of Bainbridge fully “supports” Bon Air Hotel
owner Hal Carter’s latest plans for the renovation
of the 1902 building. Recently the city applied for
and received a grant to reinstall a replica of the
original grand balcony, complete with 11 support
columns.
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Mr. Carter, who bought the
former hotel in 1999 from The Georgia Trust’s Revolving
Fund, has made great strides in renovating the
39,000-square-foot building into a mixed-use mecca for
downtown shopping and living. By looking at historic
photos, he recognized the appeal and beauty that the
long-lost balcony and portico added to the hotel.
However, he also realized that reconstructing and
attaching a balcony to the building would be a costly
endeavor. The city of Bainbridge, which has shown
great interest in the restoration project since it
began, also understood the importance of bringing the
balcony back.
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The Bon Air Hotel,
before reinstallation of the balcony
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“We’re very interested in
seeing this happen,” says Charles Tyson, Bainbridge city
manager. “The balcony is what is going to set off the Bon
Air architecturally and set our city apart.”
Because the support columns would be erected on city
property and the balcony would hang over the public
sidewalk, The Georgia Trust recommended the city seek
funding for the project. The city applied for grants, but
the project was deemed ineligible for several historic
preservation grants because the balcony would be completely
reconstructed.
Undaunted, the city applied for a grant of $80,000 from the
OneGeorgia Authority, a foundation created by Gov. Roy
Barnes to assist the state’s most economically challenged
areas by utilizing funds from Georgia’s tobacco
settlement.
“We just decided to give it a shot,” Mr. Tyson says.
“As it turns out, the shot hit the mark.” Once
construction is complete, the balcony will belong to the
city and Mr. Carter will lease it, maintain it and utilize
it as part of his building.
The Georgia Trust’s Main
Street Design Assistance Manager, Paul Simo, is
working closely with Mr. Carter and his architect to
ensure that the appropriate design, materials, colors
and textures are chosen to achieve accurate
reconstruction measures, according to the Secretary of
the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of
Historic Properties.
“We’re trying to put back something that will last
another 100 years,” Mr. Carter says. He estimates
that construction will be completed by September.
The balcony will be the crowning touch in the
transformation of a long-vacant building that was once
slated for demolition to make way for a parking
lot.
“This project has meant so much to the community,”
says Main Street Manager Amanda Coker. “That side of
the square in downtown used to be so empty, and now
you see people going in and out of the businesses. To
bring the Bon Air back to what it once was will
attract more people and bring foot traffic
downtown.”
Mr. Tyson agrees. “It is really amazing what Mr.
Carter has done to that old building. He has taken a
sow’s ear and turned it into a silk purse.”
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A
historic photo of the Bon Air Hotel
Bon
Air Hotel, 2001
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