Sarasota city leaders face a big decision Tuesday: Whether to preserve or demolish a hotel that once allowed African Americans a safe place to stay during the Jim Crow era when Sarasota was segregated.
Originally known as the Colson Hotel, the building has been plagued with termites, cracks, broken windows, and possible mold which is spelled out in a 331-page document as part of Tuesday’s agenda.
COLSONHOTEL Agenda Request Form by ABC Action News on Scribd
The building, at 1425 Eighth Street in Sarasota, opened in 1926. It’s named after Reverand Lewis Colson, the first known free black man to settle in Sarasota.
It’s currently owned by Maximilian Vollmer of JDMAX Developments LLC in Tampa. Vollmer wants to demolish the building and construct new townhomes. In filings submitted with the city, he argues the building is in disrepair and is not salvageable.
Earlier in the year, Sarasota’s historic preservation board denied Vollmer’s request to demolish the former hotel to make way for the new development.