• About
    • About Us
    • What We Cover
  • Advertise
    • Advertise
    • Our Advertisers
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Send News
  • Subscribe

Oak Ridge Today

  • Home
  • Sign in
  • News
    • Business
    • Community
    • Education
    • Government
    • Health
    • Police and Fire
    • U.S. Department of Energy
    • Weather
  • Sports
    • High School
    • Middle School
    • Recreation
    • Rowing
    • Youth
  • Entertainment
    • Arts
    • Dancing
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Theater
  • Premium Content
  • Obituaries
  • Classifieds

 

Alexander Inn ballroom demolished as renovation work begins

Posted at 4:14 pm June 6, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Alexander Inn Ballroom Demolition

Workers have demolished the damaged ballroom at the historic Alexander Inn, a dilapidated two-story hotel that has been vacant for years and is now being converted into an assisted living center.

Workers have demolished the ballroom at the historic but dilapidated Alexander Inn as part of a project to convert the vacant two-story hotel into an assisted living center.

There are about a dozen workers at the three-acre site on East Madison Road, including framers and demolition, cleanup, and abatement crews, project manager Shea Ramsey said Thursday.

The flat-roof addition that included the ballroom, kitchen, and dining room had leaked, and the wood had rotted. Project officials have previously said the ballroom and kitchen would be demolished and rebuilt.

Also known as the Guest House, the Alexander Inn has been unused for more than two decades. In recent years, it has fallen into disrepair, the victim of animals, vandals, and weather. City code enforcement efforts against the property date back to 2005.

Ramsey said workers will shore up sagging sections of the building, and the work to abate mold and asbestos could last about a month.

The ballroom demolition work started Monday, a few days after the second and final estate sale at the Alexander Inn. During those sales, residents could buy items from the 1940s to the 1980s, including bed frames and Bibles, chairs and chandeliers, and dishes and dressers.

Rick Dover, general manager of Family Pride, has said construction work could be completed in six to 12 months.

The main section of the Alexander Inn was built during World War II as part of the top-secret Manhattan Project, and it once hosted such dignitaries as physicists J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi, and Secretary of War Henry Stimson. Historic preservationists had lobbied to save it for more than a decade.

Project officials have previously said the $4.5 million assisted living center could have 60 units and include a wing for patients with Alzheimer’s and dementia. A $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and assistance from the East Tennessee Preservation Alliance helped make the project possible.

Family Pride Corp., a Loudon company, announced its proposal to convert the hotel into an assisted living center in September, and bought the property in May. It has received a 90 percent, 10-year tax break, or payment-in-lieu-of-taxes agreement, that will be used to build a new road for cars that now drive through the three-acre site, move a storm sewer under the two-story building, and help remove asbestos, among other things.

“I’m overwhelmed by the community support and interest for saving and preserving this old building,” Dover said Thursday. “Hopefully, it’s going to be returned as a real asset and be able to provide affordable housing for seniors.”

Filed Under: Business, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Alexander Inn, assisted living center, ballroom, business workshop, code enforcement, East Madison Road, East Tennessee Preservation Alliance, Family Pride Corp., Guest House, Rick Dover, Shea Ramsey, U.S. Department of Energy, World War II

Advertisements

 


Join the club!

If you appreciate our work, please consider subscribing. Besides helping us, your subscription will give you access to our premium content.

Some of our stories are free, brought to you by Oak Ridge Today with help from our members—advertisers, subscribers, and sponsors.

But some are premium content, available only to members. Those are in-depth, investigative, or exclusive stories that are available only on Oak Ridge Today. They generally require significant time to report, write, and publish.

You can subscribe for as little as $5 per month.

You can read more about your options here.

We currently offer five primary subscription options to readers, and they include benefits.

Basic

  • Basic monthly subscription ($5 per month)—access premium content
  • Basic annual subscription ($60 per year)—access premium content

Pro

  • Pro monthly subscription ($10 per month)—access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month
  • Pro annual subscription ($100 per year)—save $20 per year, access premium content, get breaking news emails first, and submit one press release or public service announcement per month

Temporary

  • Temporary access ($3 per week for two weeks)

We also have advanced subscription options. You can see them here.

We also accept donations. You can donate here.

If you prefer to send a check for a subscription or donation, you may do so by mailing one to:

Oak Ridge Today
P.O. Box 6064
Oak Ridge, TN 37831

Thank you for your consideration and for reading Oak Ridge Today. We appreciate your support.

Commenting Guidelines

We welcome comments, but we ask you to follow a few guidelines:

1) Please use your real name, including last name. Please also use a valid e-mail address.
2) Be civil. Don't insult others, attack their character, or get personal.
3) Stick to the issues.
4) No profanity.
5) Keep your comments to a reasonable length and to a reasonable number per article.

We reserve the right to remove any comments that violate these guidelines. Comments held for review, usually from those posting for the first time, may not post if they violate these guidelines. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Thank you also for reading Oak Ridge Today and for participating in the discussion.

More information is available here.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Business News

Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting

A small group of residents who spoke at a public meeting on Wednesday were mostly supportive of a proposed nuclear fuel facility in west Oak Ridge. None of the seven local speakers opposed the project, but they had some … [Read More...]

Residents discuss Dollar General in Marlow

A handful of Anderson County residents have expressed mixed opinions in government meetings about a reported proposal to build a Dollar General store next to Oliver Springs Highway in Marlow, but the Anderson County … [Read More...]

NRC accepting comments on environmental review for nuclear fuel facility

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission will have a public meeting in Oak Ridge next week to accept public comments about the environmental review for a proposed nuclear fuel facility at Horizon Center. It would be the … [Read More...]

Planning Commission approves Weigel’s site plan

The Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission approved a site plan Thursday evening for a new Weigel's at South Illinois Avenue and Union Valley Road. The plan for the 6,600-square foot store on an undeveloped 3.6-acre … [Read More...]

Railroad could jeopardize airport

Railroad tracks at Heritage Center, the former K-25 site, have emerged as a potential "deal-killer" for the proposed Oak Ridge Airport. On Tuesday, Oak Ridge city leaders said a new company in west Oak Ridge might … [Read More...]

More Business

Recent Posts

  • Basketball: Lady Wildcats undefeated in district
  • Obituaries: Jan. 23-27, 2023
  • Speakers mostly support TRISO-X fuel facility at meeting
  • UPF construction could cost more, take longer
  • Y-12 celebrates new fire station, emergency operations center
  • One person seriously injured in Wednesday crash
  • Oak Ridge EM prepared for cold weather to prevent failures
  • Covenant Health donating land for Roane State health science center
  • School board approves aviation career path
  • Wildcats name new football coach

Search Oak Ridge Today

About Us

About Oak Ridge Today
What We Cover

How To

Advertise
Subscribe

Contact Us

Contact Oak Ridge Today

Copyright © 2023 Oak Ridge Today