By Lorraine Bennett
Staff Writer
Demolition of downtown Hayesville’s old Herbert Street building, sitting vacant with leaking roof and missing windows, is underway. Tearing down the old is a first step toward making room for the new.
“Demolition on the building started yesterday,” Clay County Communities Revitalization Assn.’s Paul Price told more than 50 people who attended the CCCRA annual dinner at the Beal Center Courthouse on Tuesday evening, Dec. 2. Major demolition of the building’s exterior will not occur during the holidays because it could disrupt local businesses during the busy shopping season, he said.
This past week workers could be seen tossing wood and debris from the building’s upper story, now completely open to the sky. Price, chairman of the Hotel Restoration Committee, and CCCRA’s incoming president Tony Weigold unveiled drawings of how the renovated building’s exterior and interior may appear.
In addition to boutique hotel rooms upstairs there will be 1200 square feet of retail space on the ground floor, plus a hotel manager’s office, restroom and lobby with fireplace, coffee bar and bookcases, Price said. The building originally opened as the Hayesville Hotel and Café in 1941, he said. “It’s going to be a hotel again. It’s been vacant for over 20 years, with a leaking roof and windows out. Any building can be saved if you have the time and money.”
But when a general contractor was found for the restoration project it was ascertained to be cost prohibitive to keep the original structure. “We would have had to build a new building inside. We did the numbers. The charges to demolish the old building and build it back would save about $300,000,” Price explained. “We could not afford to do it the way we originally talked about.”
For the restoration, they are hoping the building will resemble as closely as possible the original building. “It’s a sad situation, and an exciting time, too, to see a new building rise,” Price said.
When the Herbert Street project is completed it will be called the Hayesville Inn on the Square. Price said it could be a great benefit for the whole town to have a wedding at the Beal Center, with guests staying at the renovated hotel, then enjoying a wedding dinner at the Copper Door nearby.
Bricks from the old building will be ground up and used in the new building and much of the wood will be reused, too, Weigold said. A planned 911 paramedic center will use some of the bricks as well, he added.
Among other speakers at CCCRA’s annual dinner was Beal Center Executive Director Claudia Musgrave, who said by this year’s end the historic courthouse will have hosted more than 80 events, with over 25 of them county events. “We’ve had six weddings at the Beal Center this year and that is a really big deal,” she said. “We have six more weddings scheduled next year and 12 more events on our books.”
Joe Burns, in charge of community outreach, said during the three years he has been involved in that phase of CCCRA he has seen Hayesville’s concerts on the square grow in attendance from about 3,400 in 2023 to 4,950 in 2025.
“The Friday night concert is the place to be not just for downtown Hayesville but further and further out,” Burns said. A concerted effort to involve more local businesses brought about more food and beverage participation this year. Bands have been booked already for the 2026 season, he said. “We’ve seen the need for some variety so we have four new bands mixed with four returning fan favorites.
“On April 11 we will have a benefit concert for the Peacock, with a bluegrass band out of Asheville, Unspoken Tradition, already booked,” said Burns. The proceeds will go to the Peacock for their roof replacement project, he added.
Another highlight of the CCCRA’s annual dinner included recognition of Rob Tiger for his family store’s 150th anniversary milestone. Tiger recapped some of the varied projects involving Cherokee culture and he reminded the audience of TVA’s recently announced expansion plans for additional power lines in the county.
“If you have property and you have a native American site on that property you should let TVA know,” he advised. “If you’ve got a native American site they typically won’t put a pole in the ground.”
Joanna Atkisson discussed the trails and greenways project and thanked the community and volunteers for work on the Jackrabbit picnic shelter, which has been completed.
The evening’s speakers made a plea for more volunteers to help keep the Beal Center in pristine condition and maintain the biking trails on Jackrabbit. “Jackrabbit is not just for mountain biking,” Atkisson said. “It’s my go to place for mental health.”
The evening opened with outgoing president Amanda Wagoner welcoming the guests. “CCCRA has done a tremendous job for the community,” said Wagoner, who will continue on the organization’s board of directors. Election of other officers and board members for 2026 followed. They are Weigold, president; Atkisson, vice president; Doug Canup, treasurer; Robyn Burns, secretary and upcoming directors Wagoner, Paul Price and Briana Trout.