City implodes abandoned Macon hotel known for its place in the downtown skyline

The old Ramada hotel in downtown Macon met its end in a cloud of dust and debris on New Year’s Day.

The hotel has been a fixture in the Macon skyline, but has perpetually struggled to stay booked. It’s also been at the center of a murder and an international drug scandal, leaving it with a tarnished reputation among locals and visitors alike.

The hotel passed through many hands before Macon-Bibb County acquired it in late 2023 for $4.5 million. Macon-Bibb County Mayor Lester Miller said the building was immediately slated for demolition because of the whopping $100 million price tag to restore it.

Miller also said the old hotel was hindering development in the area because businesses were hesitant to move in. The building was an eyesore and they worried it could present safety issues.

“No one has built to the river because of this property standing here,” Miller said. “It is blighted, it is dangerous, it creates issues for the community.”

The county imploded the hotel, which involves setting off explosives to kick out a structure’s support pillars, causing it to fall inward.

J.J Martin, a senior project manager with Target Contractors, the company hired to demolish the building, said demolition is a safer alternative to other demolition processes, which can take longer, release more dust into the air and put nearby buildings at risk.

“It comes straight down,” Martin said. “Gravity pretty much takes care of it.”

While the county hasn’t announced any formal plans for the site yet, Alex Morrison, director of planning and public spaces with Macon-Bibb County, said a more modern hotel or convention space will likely go into the site. The county hopes development there could tie into other revitalization efforts downtown and along the Ocmulgee River.

“This has been a landmark property that’s brought people from all over the world to Macon, Georgia, and we imagine it can be that again,” Morrison said.

In the meantime, Maconites said goodbye.

Early New Year’s Day, hundreds gathered at the designated viewing site on Coleman Hill Park to take their final look at the old Ramada. Right at 9 a.m., Miller pressed a button, and the building came tumbling down like a house of cards blown over.

This story was originally published January 1, 2025 at 9:58 AM.