Order to tear down Fayetteville hotel halted

FAYETTEVILLE — An order to demolish what’s believed to be Fayetteville’s first hotel for blacks has been halted.

The Fayetteville Observer reported that at least two City Council members called City Manager Dale Iman on Monday after reading a story in the newspaper about the building’s fate. Iman
put the demolition on hold.

A city contractor had been scheduled to tear down the 98-year-old house this week. Council members Charles Evans and Val Applewhite said they want the city to postpone the wrecking ball until officials could consider other options for the building, which catered to black travelers in the era of segregation.

The family that owns the property says they don’t have money to make needed repairs. City inspectors, who first condemned the building in December 2006, have estimated the structure needs at least $100,000 in repairs.

Information from: The Fayetteville Observer, http://www.fayobserver.com

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)