Historic St. Nicholas Hotel set to re-open in downtown Albany
Staff Photo: Alan Mauldin
By Alan Mauldin
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ALBANY — When the St. Nicholas hotel was completed in downtown Albany in 1908, it was one of the first sights for arriving train passengers, conveniently located just a few blocks from the station.
The building at Flint Avenue and North Washington Street that has sat vacant for several years has weathered some blows, including a February 1940 tornado that demolished much of the north side of the structure. But now the historic building is getting a third rebirth of sorts that will see it resume the original name and bring a return to operations as a hotel and more.
Renovation of the St. Nicholas Hotel is expected to begin in early 2024, with completion anticipated to take a year to 16 months after work begins, said Albany businessman Matt Fuller, one of three partners in the project, including his brother Jim Fuller.
For Matt Fuller, the project is a labor of love, and during a tour of the three-story structure he pointed out some of the intriguing architectural features, including arches on the first floor.
“I grew up in old houses,” he said. “The house I grew up in was built in 1860.”
Fuller has renovated one older home in the Rawson Circle neighborhood that was built in the 1920s and a second at the former home of housing developer Angus Alberson.
“When (the St. Nicholas) became available, everything fell into place,” Fuller said. “I’ve always loved downtown, so having an opportunity to bring an old building like this back to life was an exciting challenge.”
The price tag for the project is expected to be just under $6 million, and the group also has purchased nearly all of the buildings along the block across the street that are part of the overall development project. Plans for those buildings include second-floor apartments, a bar and an art studio.
The project received historic building tax credits, and the developers plan to restore the St. Nicholas to the original look as much as possible, including bringing back the canopy that was part of its charm before the tornado.
“So it’s going to be pretty much like it was, but with all the modern conveniences,” Fuller said.
After the damage of 1940 tornado, the hotel was renovated and re-opened as the Lee Hotel. It operated into the 1970s, Fuller said. Later it was used by the state as a diversion center for individuals on probation after serving prison sentences.
A walk-through of the building revealed rooms that are much smaller than those that are the standard today, and when built every two rooms shared a bathroom with the next. The state removed all of the bathroom fixtures and provided communal bathrooms for residents.
The renovations call for making one room out of each two of the original rooms, for a total of 13 each on the second and third floors. One of those rooms will be a large suite.
To retain the historic look, each of the rooms will have what appears to be two doors, but only one will be an actual door and the other will be a facade, with the interior of the room having a finished wall instead.
Downstairs will include a 3 Squares diner, a separate operation Fuller operates with his brother, Austin Newman and Shawn Walters. There currently are seven of the diners in southwest Georgia, with two more locations under development in Albany and Camilla.
The bar on the first floor will bring another nod to history as it will be named “Harry’s” in honor of big-band leader Harry James.
“A lot of circus performers stayed at the St. Nicholas when they were in town,” Fuller said. “(James’) parents were circus performers, and he was actually born in the hotel. So we’re going to call it ‘Harry’s.’”
Part of the first floor will include space for 3 Squares’ corporate offices and a training kitchen. With plans to bring the 3 Squares total up to 13 and an eye on franchising the diners, which Fuller described as “a cross between a Cracker Barrel and a Waffle House,” the idea is to have a demonstration and training area.
Another tidbit of history about the old St. Nicholas is the stairs on the south side of the building lead down to the former home of the notorious Joe’s Cellar nightclub.
The timing for the project is another piece that seems to have fallen into place, Fuller said.
An Illinois-based developer has plans to renovate the former Water, Gas & Light and Albany Herald buildings downtown for a hotel and extended-stay hotel, respectively. Another historic building, the former Davis Exchange, is slated to be turned into apartments at the corner of West Broad Avenue and North Washington Street across the street from the future home of the Albany Museum of Art.
The city also has a downtown master plan in the works that calls for additional renovations in the area as well.
Fuller also said he thinks the combination of projects will complement each other and could help revive the downtown area.
“Hopefully we’ll draw people coming in for the weekend who want to stay in a cool boutique hotel,” he said. “Hopefully it’s going to be a big impact on downtown. We’re hoping it will bring more people coming down here, and that will breed more success. There’ll be a need for more shops, more businesses.”
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