The storied Partridge Inn will shut down operations for several months as the owners are planning a massive restoration project.
According to managing member and co-owner Rick Patton, the multi-million dollar renovation will focus on updating guest rooms, the P.I. Bar and Grill and the rooftop bar. The exterior of the building will also be repainted.
Patton said the decision was made to shut the facility down during the renovation project so that guests will not feel like they are staying in a construction zone.
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“We really don’t want to inconvenience our guests, so we decided to shut down for the winter so that the work can be done quicker,” Patton said.
According to Patton, the closure is expected to last three to four months.
“We hope it is only three months, but it could take a little longer due to some exterior maintenance issues. We want to get the work done correctly,” Patton said.
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The building was last renovated five years ago to meet the standards of the current operator, Curio – A Collection By Hilton, which advertises the hotel worldwide as a place to experience “true southern hospitality.”
Renovating such a historic structure can be tricky and can lead to surprises, which has happened in past renovations.
In one such renovation years ago, workers stumbled upon a walled-up fireplace that did not appear in any of the blueprints or plans of the building. Since the original building was never meant to be a grand hotel, it has evolved over the last century with successive owners building on top of what was already there to create a structure that is unique to Augusta.
The Partridge Inn started out its life as a modest family home in Summerville. The original building, constructed in 1836, was purchased by Morris Partridge, who doubled the size of the structure and opened it to the public as a small hotel in 1910.
What started as a simple front porch was expanded over the years to become the tiered set of verandas that make the Partridge Inn internationally famous.
In the early 20th Century, the inn quickly became a favorite among the northern-based Gilded Age elite who would flock to Augusta to escape the harsh northern winters. President William Howard Taft was a regular and particularly enjoyed watching the ladies try the putting green that once existed where the main dining room is today.
In the late 1930s, the building was nearly doubled in size again, adding new wings of guest rooms as well as ballrooms and conference rooms.
By the 1960s, Augusta was no longer a resort town, but the Partridge Inn remained popular for patrons coming to Augusta for the Masters Tournament. The building also became the “go-to spot” for young adults on weekends.
Van Hudson was a member of the first rock and roll house band at the Partridge Inn. His group, the Disciples of Sound, was chosen by Cortez Greer, a contemporary of James Brown, to play the venue six nights a week for nine months.
“It was grueling, but it was fun. The P.I. was the hottest spot in Augusta. I was still in high school when we got that gig,” Hudson said.
Later, the building was converted into apartments, but by the late 1970s, it had become decrepit and was slated for demolition until a group of local business people got involved and saved the building from the wrecking ball.
The Partridge Inn returned as a full service hotel in 1988.
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Patton said he is excited about the upcoming renovation and hopes the public will be pleased with the work.
“We know what the Partridge Inn means to Augusta and we want to be good stewards of the property,” Patton said.
Scott Hudson is the Senior Reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach him at scott@theaugustapress.com.
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