In a truly unique way to welcome 2025, Georgia is set to kick off the new year with a literal bang! The state has approved a plan to demolish a long-vacant 16-story hotel in a spectacular explosion that will not only mark the occasion but also draw widespread attention.
This once-failed landmark, designed by renowned architect Morris Lapidus (who also designed the famous Fontainebleau hotel), opened in 1970 but never found success. After being sealed off by the New York Banking Department in 1991 and briefly operating as the Ramada Plaza, the building has been vacant since 2017.
Macon County, which purchased the property for $4.5 million last year, has now hired a firm for $2.06 million to carry out the demolition. County Mayor Miller emphasized that the investment in demolition would bring a return “a hundred times” greater once something new is built in its place. While the county’s exact plans for the site remain unclear, its prime riverfront location adds to its potential.
However, a nearby historic church, built in 1851, has raised concerns that the demolition might cause damage to its structure. The dramatic destruction of this hotel is set to be a showstopper, leaving locals wondering what will rise in its place.