Marys Downtown Development Authority, said the project was partially funded through a low-interest state Downtown Development Revolving Loan Fund and is the first business in the city to take advantage of the loan. I'm getting lots of compliments."Īlyce Thornhill, director of the St. "I'm glad to be working on something historical. The wallpaper is very similar to the original pattern and will appear older after he puts a glaze to give it an antique appearance, Woods said. Parker Woods, an employee for East Coast Custom Painting in Kingsland, has been hanging new wallpaper in the hotel. The project was also good for the mostly local contractors. Some of the heart pine frames had to be rebuilt, but look just like the originals. He said all the double-hung windows have been rebuilt, so both the top and bottom sections easily slide up and down. "I know the names of every one of those boards," he said. He replaced more than 1,600 linear feet of flooring, purchased from a vendor who found the wood in old churches and schools. Jerry Brandon said the floors were the most difficult part of the restoration. Work included removing aging carpet and restoring the uncovered heart pine floors to their original luster. The hotel, which has been closed the past six weeks, recently reopened about half the rooms while the final touches are completed. The $250,000 renovation goes far beyond creating theme-based rooms. "Unfortunately, my schedule prevents my accepting your invitation however, remembering your kind hospitality in the past, I hope that one day I will again be able to stay at the Riverview." "I am honored that you would name a room after me and place me in the illustrious company of authors, admirals and financiers," Scott wrote in an Aug. The Willard Scott room includes autographed photographs and a recent letter to the Brandons, who invited him for a return visit. But after the hoax made national news, Scott paid the town a visit. The city prepared for a week-long visit by the weatherman only to learn Scott was never scheduled to come to St. One room is named after NBC weatherman Willard Scott, who was never an overnight guest but visited the hotel after he learned he was part of a hoax in 1988. and former Times-Union columnist Vic Smith, who wrote under the pseudonym Poke McHenry. Chester Nimitz, author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard B. The old photographs and other memorabilia give each room a distinct decor certain to generate interest and inspire guests to return and stay in other rooms.īrandon said she and her husband researched old hotel ledgers to name rooms after former guests such as Adm. Talmadge is just one of the recognizable names of former guests. "Some people could be offended by his politics, but he was part of Georgia history," she said. The disclaimer says the owners have not now or ever endorsed Talmadge's politics, said Gaila Brandon, who owns the hotel with her husband, Jerry Brandon. The 18 rooms at the hotel, which is undergoing a major renovation that is nearly complete, have been named after notable guests who have stayed there since it opened in 1916. MARYS - Guests staying at the Riverview Hotel will see a disclaimer if they stay in a room dedicated to former Gov.
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