A LITTLE HISTORY ABOUT OUR PLACE HOTEL

In 2010 the Downtown Development Authority of Nashville Georgia found themselves in a unique situation having recently acquired a dilapidated 1935 era two story art deco building in the heart of Nashville's downtown community, they had a desire to refurbish the charming building to it's former splendor, but lacked the funds to do so.

The Authority devised a plan to raise funds, open a new business and refurbish the property back to it's original integrity. The group would sell 300 tickets for $100, each ticket representing a chance to win the building. Covenants were created and rules for the drawing were established. The drawing would be a reverse drawing meaning the last ticket drawn would win the building. Tickets went on sale and folks poured in to purchase a ticket, a ticket was even sold as far away as California. The event day arrived and the drawing was held in the downtown park, where Mr. Terry Danforth, a native of Berrien County came in to purchase a ticket. Dawn Morrison explained the process to Mr. Danforth, she said, "The last ticket drawn will win the building." Mr. Danforth's reply was, "Well, I will probably win it because my name is always the last to be drawn!" Sure enough, Mr. Danforth's name was the last to be drawn and he and his wife Lisa were the new owners of this 1935 property.

Days later Mr. Danforth was still receiving offers from prospective business owners on the building, but Danforth turned every offer down. The property was originally a jewelry store, but had been empty for over 20 years, Mr. Danforth and his wife Lisa purchased their wedding bands at the jewelry store many years ago (a strong indication that the right people won this property, and they are not telling how many years ago). The Danforth's are farmers, and although they had never done a project such as this, they decided it was something they would like to tackle. Per the covenants, the Danforth's had only a few months to decide what they were going to do with the property and get started with construction or the building would return to the Authority. After much contemplation the Danforth's decided to create a unique hotel. There were no upscale hotels on Nashville's historic square, and the Danforth's felt this was a project that would meet the needs of the community. With help from the Better Hometown Organization and the Berrien Chamber of Commerce, the community's industries and businesses were surveyed on the need and viability of a new hotel. It was indicated by these surveys that the community would support this new endeavor.

In May of 2012 the Danforth's opened their new hotel, Our Place Hotel. Hotel guest, Jodi Hogan said, "Staying at the hotel was an experience, the woodwork is incredible and we felt like we were a million miles away. I would recommend it to anyone." Better Hometown Director, Dawn Morrison said, "The Danforth's have had a passion for this project since the beginning, they have put their hearts and souls into this project and it has certainly paid off."