March 10, 2006

Winecoff Groundbreaking Ceremony set for April 21st at 10am

Located at 176 Peachtree, the Winecoff Hotel is strategically located across the street from both the Ritz Carlton Hotel and the former Macy's Building in downtown Atlanta. The long-awaited redevelopment of this property will return the building to its former glory as a luxury boutique hotel, enhanced by state-of-the art technology and design. The developer, Kelco/FB Winecoff LLC, has enlisted Boykin Management Company, a leading hotel management company specializing in independent and boutique properties across the U.S., to oversee the day-to-day operations of the 127-room hotel. We invite you to attend this long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for this catalytic project in the heart of Atlanta's Central Business District.

A historical structure constructed in 1913, the Winecoff Hotel was billed as the first "fire proof" hotel because of its brick construction (it did not have sprinklers or fire escapes). Commissioned and owned by William Winecoff, the hotel was considered one of the nation's finest luxury hotels. Unfortunately, tragedy stuck on the evening of December 7, 1946 when a fire on the third floor spread through the entire building, with the central stairwell acting as a flume. One hundred and nineteen people perished in the blaze, including Mr. and Mrs. Winecoff who were hotel residents. This remains the deadliest hotel fire in U.S.
history.

In 1951, the hotel re-opened as the Peachtree-On-Peachtree Hotel, and a fire-escape was added to the southern side of the building. The building was converted into a senior citizens residence in 1967 by the Georgia Baptist Convention. Ackerman Realty purchased the building in 1984 with plans to demolish the structure, but financing was not available, so the building remained vacant with the exception of several retail tenants on the lower floors. Despite several attempts at redevelopment by various owners, the building sat vacant for nearly 25 years.

The rehabilitation of the Winecoff Hotel is among the latest of the very tangible wave of revitalization projects recently announced or underway in downtown Atlanta.