After standing for 93 years in the Poncey-Highland neighborhood, the historic Highland Inn & Ballroom Lounge is set for demolition, now confirmed by Highland Inn General Manager Steve Harvey in an email to What Now Atlanta Friday.
Harvey said that the inn, built in 1927, was struggling with covering its own expenses even before Atlanta’s economic shutdown, but the coronavirus ensured that the business couldn’t sustain itself.
“In investigating ways to make the Inn viable, we were researching possible renovation solutions,” Harvey wrote. “The engineers that looked at the building discovered serious structural issues. As a result after consultation with professionals, it was decided that demolition and rebuilding was the only option.”
In place of the Highland Inn, the team plans to develop the property into something that would be “an attractive addition to the neighborhood in keeping with the aesthetics and character of the surrounding area,” he said. This new development will feature retail and restaurant space on the ground floor and apartments and Airbnb units on top with parking underneath.
“We hope that any redevelopment will become an iconic part of the Poncey-Highland district and reflect its values,” Harvey wrote. “I hope that we can work together with the neighborhood to keep-Poncey-Highland [sic] great.”
