Who is to blame for Eggleston collapse?
The RTD is digging into the pile of blame for the collapse of the Eggleston Hotel this past Saturday. The city lays the collapse on the owners’ for not taking action despite the urging of city official for years. The building’s owner, Neverett A. Eggleston Jr., sees it differently, saying that
the city shares the blame, along with financial institutions that he says make it hard for black-owned businesses to get financing for construction and renovation projects.
“The fault can be either way, either us or the city,” said Eggleston, whose father, Neverett A. Eggleston Sr., took over the hotel at the corner of Leigh and Second streets in the 1930s. “For me, and us as a race, just finding financing for anything is holy hell.”
Why is it the city’s responsibility to renovate this dilapidated building, when it is privately owned? If the cost to renovate was reasonable, if there was a market for such a project, if the developers had legit investors or experience, why wouldn’t a bank loan the $? Banks make $ by loaning $ to legit and stable projects. The bigger question is how did he get the funding in this recession? When banks are not loaning $ for anything, how did he get money now and not then? Hmmmmm, renovating that dilapidated building for 1 million, sounds like a cheap renovation to me. He most likely cut cost to balance out the cost assessment.
I think the owner was more worried about having a nice car and nice clothes then he ever was about fixing up that dump. Mr. Eggleston Jr. can I ask you what kind of car you drive? It all about image not actual gains. Good luck in the future but for you to blame others is deplorable. And do you really believe that work was to start on Monday? I have heard from Mr. Hanson and his associates that work was to start on that project and many other projects months and months even years ago. Its the same old crap that has kept much of this city in the condition that its in. Excuses and delays but all the while somehow the top people still make money??? And the reason you can’t get financing is because your credit is crap. Stop being so selfish and begin to promote you city as apposed to just leaching off of it.
I live on this block of 2nd St and I’m very sad to see the Eggleston didn’t survive to be renovated. It would have made a wonderful mixed use building that could have brought more life to the neighborhood. One has to wonder how long until the Hippodrome and the Elks Lodge suffer the same fate.
I don’t know who is to “blame” for the Eggleston collapse, but at least we can trust the Disgrace to frame the issue in such a polarizing light.
Blame me.
Mike, are you implying that because Mr. Eggleston is a black man he MUST have a NICE car (pimped out no doubt?) and NICE clothes (pimp wear?). And of course if he’s a black man his credit is crap. You are right about one thing – THIS is the same old crap that keeps Richmond stagnant.
The buildings owned by this family next door and across the street are all against code. All have been sucked dry out of income without money put in until it was to late. Then they put a band aid on it to satisfy the indifferent city officials.
Who’s to blame? Who cares! I get so tired of hearing things blamed on race. If it wasn’t important enough for Mr. Eggleston to save, then I for one say good riddance. If he didn’t care enough to try to save it over the last 25 years then why the heck should we? What I’d like to know is how exactly does the city make it hard for “black-owned” businesses to get financing? Between reversed discrimination minority business opportunities that are not only provided, but insisted on, and Affirmative Action; I’m not so sure that you don’t have to be a complete idiot not to be able to make it as a black business man or woman. Now if the bank knows that you’re simply not good for the money or the responsibility, then there’s your story. I say good riddance. It was just another example of poor minority management looking for someone to blame and a blight on the properties that surrounded it. It should have come down a long time ago.
Race? You have to be kidding me.
Until Saturday, I’d never even heard of or noticed the Eggleston. I’m sure I’m one of many in the same boat.
Mr. Eggleston, take a look around the city. There are plenty of successful black-owned businesses that have gotten financing or become major local employers. I chit-chatted with several tonight at an event for the Greater Richmond Technology Council, several of which are up for awards in May.
Jackson Ward is home to a number of award-winning, great black-owned restaurants. Unfortunately for the Eggleston, it was not in a part of town that is a major draw for tourists anymore. It has absolutely nothing to do with race, and I am so sick and tired of hearing race is a factor when a business that happens to be owned by an African-American falters. It’s called the free market system.
Why doesn’t anyone ever give credit to race for their success? It’s only when all other options are expended to explain why something bad happened that the race card is drawn. Many of the AA business owners in this town were offered programs, incentives and all sorts of business help from the city. They took advantage of it and used that help as a leg up to build successful businesses. They give back to the community, provide jobs and create tax revenue. It’s time to more on from “the man” is keeping me down. Just ask President Obama.
Mr. Eggleston jr. is very active in the re-development of the community at this moment particularly on hull street between the river and Jeff Davis hwy. The owner Mr. Eggleston jr. had no reason to suspect that the building was in imminent danger of collapsing. Furthermore that building was from what I could see of it essentially beyond repair, to redevelop the hotel in to apartments would have required most, if not all of the structure to be demolished anyway. The difficulty that African American business people have securing financing for business ventures has a long and clear record. Though I do not try to deny that this is improving nor do I deny that there are counter examples. For heavens sake the golden age of Jackson Ward is predicated on the necessity of black owned businesses to rely and get credit from one another rather than to rely on white corporate lenders. To comment on “Mike’s” comments above Mr. Eggleston drives a scooter and if you had met him you would know that your attack is off base completely. But I must also say that “Shay’s” assumptions do not appropriately follow from the former’s comments.
Except that the city and private structural engineers had in fact told him that the building was in danger of collapse more than 6 months ago.
The developers of the property seemed to feel differently about this. They had spent money on development plans and were expecting to be able to get historic tax credits for preserving the building.
Yes, 50 years ago, sure. The same owner and developer found money for other projects in Jackson Ward and on Hull Street, but let this for how many years? You can’t say that this has anything to do with race.
@john- You quote your own blog as a source of fact? I read the old blog you posted, it states that you heard… such and such. What are your facts? Without facts one could construe an attack on Mr. Eggleston jr. I know you like to pose as a heroic historic developer activist of some sort, with solutions like the govt. forceing private owners to do what govt. deems best. You still havent learned that the govt. cant do anything right? And your advice to a successful developer like Mr. Eggleston on how his business should run its finances is sophomoric. Do you think any of the financing for the convention center could have found its way to helping any other hotel besides marriott or hilton? good luck with your govt. utopian fantasy world
Liberty – Your shallow one-note response to *everything* has gotten tedious and unwelcome. You hate the government, we get it.
one problem this building faced was that it was left in a family trust. Since the family couldn’t agree… sell it, repair it… inaction followed. By the time that ownership was settled upon Mr. Eggleston Jr. the structure was a wreck.