UPDATE 4/1/25: Commissioners voted 7-3 to allow the demolition, with Commissioners Link, Taylor and Thornton voting no.
The fate of the Saye building in downtown Athens may be decided by the ACC Commission next month as they consider removing historic protection from the century-old building at the request of its owner, Athens First United Methodist Church.
Athens First United Methodist has wanted to demolish the aging building for years to build a small parking lot but were blocked by Commissioner Melissa Link, who put a temporary hold on the demolition in 2018. The demolition moratorium was expanded across downtown the next year. In 2020, the commission established the West Downtown Historic District which was intended to provide permanent protection to the Saye building and other cultural landmarks downtown, including the historic Black business district known as the Hot Corner.
Nonetheless, Athens First United Methodist kept trying to get a permit to demolish the Saye building. When their request was rejected by the ACC Planning Department in 2023, they filed a lawsuit against the local government.
Superior Court Judge Lisa Lott sent this dispute to mediation where eventually ACC staff agreed to allow the demolition to proceed. The ACC Commission gave their initial approval to the mediation agreement in November 2024.
However, the Saye Building still needs to be removed from the West Downtown Historic District before the demolition can take place. This proposal was rejected by the ACC Historic Preservation Commission in January. Further complicating matters, the ACC Planning Commission has delayed approval of the church’s plan to build a surface parking lot on the site, an idea which Planning Commission Chairman Matthew Hall said was “a particularly terrible land use for a downtown zone.”
At their meeting last week, some ACC Commissioners seemed to have cold feet about the demolition agreement despite giving their initial approval for it last year.
Commissioner Ovita Thornton in particular seems to have changed her mind about the agreement after hearing from several community members during public comment who are opposed to the demolition.
“We heard some things tonight that, if we had heard in earlier years, it might have made a difference in the direction of the church and this local government,” Thornton said. “Maybe there’s a miracle between now and whenever [to save the Saye building].”
Commission discussion on this item was muted because, according to Link, they were instructed not to comment on it by their attorney. Therefore, Link did not comment directly, but she did ask about the potential tax value of the property were it to return to private hands.
“The public deserves to know the money that is being removed from the public’s coffers as long as this property is not restored and entered back into general public use,” Link said.
The church has received a $2 million offer to buy the property from a group of investors including former commissioner Russell Edwards. If the sale goes through, these investors would start paying property taxes on the building, which First United Methodist does not as a religious institution.
UPDATE 3/26/25: Edwards and other investors have increased their offer to $3 million.
While Athens First United Methodist may eventually be able to force the local government to allow the demolition through litigation, the commission has no obligation to accept this particular mediation agreement. In fact, the commission declined unanimous consent for the agreement, meaning it will remain on their April agenda for discussion as a separate item, something the preservationist group Historic Athens views as a win.
“Our voices are making a difference,” Historic Athens’ Engagement Coordinator Denise Sunta wrote to supporters after the meeting. “The future of the Saye Building is not yet decided…we still have a chance to push for a solution that prioritizes preservation over demolition, revitalization over erasure and a future that honors Athens’ past.”
“Losing 23,000 square feet of historic space for a handful of parking spots is not in the public interest – especially when a qualified buyer is ready to invest in preservation,” Historic Athens wrote.
The ACC Commission will vote on whether or not to carry out the arbitration deal and remove the Saye building from the West Downtown Historic District on April 1.
CORRECTION 3/27/25: This article originally stated that the local government has a legal obligation to accept some kind of mediation agreement, which is false, according to attorney Michael Ruppersburg.
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3 thoughts on “Commissioners hesitate to allow Saye building demolition”
It should be noted that 110 W. Hancock is not “right next to”, but rather across Lumpkin Street from – the downtown post office.
What’s the difference from your perspective? I guess I view those two phrases as saying the same thing.
In my view it is a separate entity on an empty city block, and not an integral part of an historical collection of quasi public structures – isolated by busy public right of way including sidewalks and a very busy street.