When now-and-then resident Craig Oswald looks at the Gilmer Inn, he sees a treasure trove of history and a cast of colorful characters.
But that”s not how the inn is seen by its neighbors.
Despite recent efforts to burnish the run-down, 75-room motel”s image, many in the community still see it as a sore spot of downtown Columbus.
Columbus police officers have responded to more than 293 criminal calls at the motel in the past three years, likely more than any other single location, according to city records.
In a recent examples, police were knocking on Daniel Paul Copple”s room door at about the time he allegedly shot and killed two men Feb. 16 at the nearby Elbow Room Lounge.
Copple, like many of the inn”s residents, was taking advantage of the affordable monthly rates while working for local industry.
For singles rooms, the price is $40 per night, $185 per week, or $758 per month. For doubles, $50 per night, $200 per week or $758 per month.
Manager Christopher McCranie said he “doesn”t control” what his residents do, but that the inn has come a long way from what it has been in the past.
“Since I”ve been here, I”ve got narcotics teams in here every week. They basically sit out front,” said McCranie, whose parents, Sanjay and Nhana Modi, of Chicago, Ill., bought the inn in March 2007. “I”ve got about 90 percent of the (criminal element) cleared out.”
Although officers are not acting as security for the inn, police Public Information Officer Terrie Songer said they are often there, mostly responding to reports of drugs, domestic violence or disturbances.
Oswald, who has lived in the motel for about seven years now, said he wouldn”t have stayed in the Gilmer when he first moved to Columbus 12 years ago.
“I wouldn”t be staying here now if I thought that things hadn”t improved,” he said. “To me, that”s an indication that things are going in the right direction.”
Although the inn”s out-of-town guests “get wild on the weekends,” Oswald said it”s a fairly peaceful community.
“It”s always the locals (who cause trouble), never the out-of-towners,” Oswald said. “The bad drift usually beebop from hotel to hotel. They”re just trying to elude the police.”
The inn may have come a long way, but its neighbors say it still has a long way to go.
Frank Goodman, Trotter Convention Center director and city property manager, called the inn an “eyesore” that “seems to breed crime.”
“I wish it wasn”t there, but there”s not much you can do about it,” he said.
There have been several aborted attempts to buy and demolish the inn over the years, including one by the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau, Goodman said.
CVB Interim Director Nancy Carpenter said she would be “delighted” if the Gilmer were turned into a convention center hotel or a small upscale hotel.
“I think a convention center hotel or a boutique hotel would add something to downtown,” she said. “I think it would enhance that block.”
“It”s desperately needed,” she added.
McCranie said he may eventually buy the motel from his parents, but wants to redo instead of rebuild the Gilmer.
One of the first steps to do that, he said, is to spruce up the inn”s image by renovating the rooms and exterior.
About half of the inn”s 75 rooms have recently been renovated, and the rest will be renovated as soon as possible, McCranie said. He also hopes to reopen the long-closed banquet room and bar, although the project would cost several hundred thousand dollars and require zoning changes to allow the serving of alcohol.
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