Aberdeen's Hotel Reno

A Monroe County city is looking to help encourage and attract more commercial and residential development to its downtown.

A monroe county city is looking to help encourage and attract more commercial and residential development to its downtown.

Allie martin has more on a fundraising project that involves current and former residents of the town.

When it was built in the 1920's, the parkway hotel was a symbol of elegance.

Now, with the public's help, aberdeen main street, wants to restore that glory.

"it will be a fabulous addition to downtown aberdeen."

As manager of aberdeen main street, ann tackett is leading an effort to buy the historic property.

Where some may see a building in decline, tackett envisions a showplace, with a restaurant and coffee shop on the first floor, and hotel rooms and apartments on the upper floors.

Purchase price is 150 thousand dollars, and tackett is reaching out to the public for tax deductible contributions.

"we did a 25 hundred dollar donation, looking for sixty people to donate 25 hundred , that would give us the 150 thousand , we're pushing on with that, have had some smaller donations, had a monthly donation, whatever works, we will have the property and we will see this through."

A one story addition, currently part of the tombigbee inn, will be torn down to make room for parking and landscaping.

Greg miller, a cpa and treasurer for aberdeen main street works next door to the historic building and he is excited about the potential for the project and what it will mean for the downtown area.

"it would greatly improve the downtown, our town has seen a lot of resurgence lately, had people come and invest and re do the buildings, a lot of our buildings downtown have apartments in them, and we are , hope this will be an asset to the main street community and make our town even more beautiful."

Aberdeen main street hopes to close on the historic parkway hotel by june.

Then they will look for centred up columbus developer chris chain is working with aberdeen main street to develop a renovation plan for the project.