It’s the beginning of the end for a former Greenwood hotel.
The Red Carpet Inn and Fanta Suites is permanently closed and now under new ownership. Cleanup of the hotel, 1117 E. Main St., is also underway as its new owners move forward with its impending demolition.
News of the new ownership and the cleaning out of the hotel mark a new chapter in the history of the troubled hotel, which has been embroiled in a legal battle with the city of Greenwood for over a year as city officials have fought for the hotel to be improved, vacated and demolished.
Concerns about the conditions of the hotel had been rising since June 2021. Inspections in June 2021, September 2022, November 2022 and January 2023 all found numerous health and safety violations at the hotel.
The Red Carpet Inn repeatedly failed the inspections. Although work was being done to remedy the issues, not enough progress was being made, officials have said over the last two years.
Ahmed Mubarak, the former owner of the hotel, had disagreed with characterizations of the hotel’s condition and with the demolition order.
The order of demolition was initially issued on March 17, and upheld by the city’s plan commission on April 25. Mubarak, through his attorneys, asked for a judicial review of the order, which was granted. The order was also stayed until Nov. 21, which was when Johnson County Superior Court 4 Judge Marla Clark lifted the order and dismissed the petition for judicial review.
A little more than a month since Clark’s ruling, employees of Ray’s Demolition have been going room by room tossing out furniture, doors, wood pieces and more from the hotel’s rooms. The emptying of the hotel is part of the preparation process for the demolition of the hotel, which is still a few weeks away.
Mubarak, who had owned the hotel through Lodging and Trade LLC, is no longer the owner of the nearly eight-acre property. The property was bought by DNB Realty, which is owned by Ray’s Demolition Owner Donnie Matthews. He declined to comment on the financial terms of the sale.
Matthews first learned of the property when Ray’s Demolition was asked by the city to come out and look at the property. He then found out who the owner and real estate agent were and made an offer.
They accepted.
“I understood the responsibility of getting it clean,” he said. “It’s not the first time we’ve ever done this.”
Ray’s Demolition is currently waiting for permits to be approved for the demolition, along with utility disconnections, Matthews said. A demolition permit is on file with the city, but it cannot be approved until it can be verified that all the utilities have been fully disconnected, said Kenneth Seal, building commissioner.
As Ray’s Demolition awaits the final disconnections, workers are cleaning the building out and making it secure for surrounding businesses and Greenwood residents. Matthews himself was working to empty it on Friday.
It’s a multi-step process for demolition, with electricity being the first thing looked at. Then crews will evaluate what should come down first, which is dependent upon the weather, he said.
As part of the pre-demolition clean-out, crews will also tear down all of the wallpaper and drywall. Once demolished, crews will re-crush the concrete from the building and sell it as a concrete aggregate, Matthews said.
The building is a bit of a challenge, Matthews said. On Wednesday, Matthews met with Seal and members of the Greenwood Fire Department to talk about the complex’s past and future issues.
“We realized the No. 1 thing is with vagrants; you’ve got the homeless that want to stay here,” he said. “So we’ve evacuated almost all the mattresses out of these two buildings here, and we’ve cleaned them up immensely.”
Another one of the top priorities from the city was removing the tall, pylon sign that said “Red Carpet Inn” along Main Street. So on Thursday, the sign was torn down and all that remains are its concrete foundation and metal from its base.
Ray’s Demolition crews have also been working with the fire department, donating some of the hotel’s mirrors for the department’s weightlifting room, he said. Giving back to the community is part of Rays’ mission, Matthews said.
Crews have also made some unusual finds because of the unique nature of the hotel. Many of the hotel’s rooms were themed, including “Cupid’s Corner,” “Le Cave” and “Pharaoh’s Chambers,”
Among the items taken out or partially deconstructed by crews include a tipi and a covered wagon. They also recently hauled away a pink 1959 Cadillac convertible, Matthews said.
As for the Red Carpet Inn’s demolition, Matthews says they will probably start at the south end and work their way around. It will take about six weeks to fully remove the buildings on the property and leave it with a clean slate, he said.
Once the demolition is done, the property will be put up for sale, Matthews said.
“As soon as we can get everything down and get it back into Mother Nature’s hands, it’s just dirt to sell, to build hopefully another building,” he said.
