MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Three weeks ago, we told you about the historic Manchester Inn in Middletown, and how its roof is falling apart and in danger of collapsing.
While the historic Manchester Inn looks like it's possibly salvageable from the outside, the Middletown City Council said the inside is a completely different story.
“If you actually took the Titanic out and drained it, that’s what The Manchester looks like,” said city councilman Paul Horn. “It’s not gonna be saved.”
Inside, you'll find the ceiling crumbling to pieces, with both water and fire damage — a situation officials say is unsafe for anyone to go inside.
“I do not want first responders going into that building, be it firefighters or police officers,” said Horn.
HEAR the safety concerns city council has for the Manchester Inn, and why some want to still fight for it:
Middletown Fire Captain Frank Baughman was also at Tuesday’s city council meeting to share his concerns.
“This is what kills firefighters across the country,” said Baughman, referring to the collapsing roof.
Sam Ashworth with the Middletown Historical Society has been advocating for the restoration of the inn. We asked him if he believed the building was still worth saving after seeing what the interior looked like.
“Yes I do,” said Ashworth. “The attitude towards letting it go and neglect is what caused this problem.”
Ashworth said he understands the safety concerns, but the building has too much history to be let go.
“Yes, it's a restaurant, it's a ballroom, we’ve had all these events and everything, but it’s much more than that. It served as the civic center,” said Ashworth.
At Tuesday night’s meeting, council gave themselves until the first week of August to gather the information for all possibilities for the inn. Then they’ll make a decision, demolish or restore.
“On that day that we have the work session, council needs to make a decision before we leave for the day on what we’re doing with these buildings,” said councilman Paul Lolli.
According to council, restoring the building would cost around $18 million. Ashworth is not sure where that number came from, but does believe there is a developer out there who would pay.
Others, though, have seemed to have already made up their mind.
“I think we need to do it now, today. That building should come down before someone is damaged,” said councilwoman Jennifer Carter. “What are we holding onto it for?”
