Oliver Hospitality
The City of Aiken and Oliver Hospitality closed their real estate deal Sept. 11, transferring ownership of the Hotel Aiken building and adjacent properties in the heart of Aiken’s downtown to the Nashville-based hotelier and advancing the long-awaited redevelopment project toward the demolition and construction phase.
Mayor Pro Tempore Kay Brohl confirmed the closing.
“I have such relief that this has happened, and then there’s excitement. Now we can move forward with so many things,” she said. “This is going to be a game changer for our downtown.”
Mayor Teddy Milner, City Clerk Sara Ridout and City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh began the signing process on the afternoon of Sept. 9, then overnighted the closing documents to Oliver Hospitality’s attorney in Columbia.
Milner was out of town Sept. 11, so Brohl signed the final documents for the city to complete the $2.5 million transaction.
“Thank goodness Oliver Hospitality group is ready to start. They’re chomping at the bit, ready to start, and so are we,” Brohl said.
The project involves renovation of the 19th-century Hotel Aiken building, which will become the Oliver Hotel, and the addition of a three-story annex to the building’s east end. It involves incorporation of three existing retail spaces on Laurens Street, construction of a three-story mixed-use building of retail spaces and long-term rentals on the east side of Bee Lane where the Holley House now stands, preservation of the façade of the McGhee Block, construction of a 200-car parking garage where Warneke Cleaners is located and installation of a public courtyard nestled into the southern side of the hotel.
At a public information session about how the project will affect traffic downtown, Bedenbaugh said traffic controls and construction activity could begin as soon as Sept. 15.