The Mosley Motel was a multi-use facility and extended stay hotel which offered a variety of amenities such as conference rooms, swimming pools, lounges, laundry facilities, club, bar and even a Subway sandwich shop attached to it that closed for good in 2013. Upon arriving at the motel, the first thing I noted was that every single piece of metal railing was gone as well as all the units being gutted out. Every piece of glass was destroyed from vandals and heavy graffiti. The first thing I smelt upon arriving was fresh paint knowing that someone had recently spray painted artwork on the outside of some rooms. I was accompanied by two other people and we knew we weren't alone as we heard voices of people ans spray cans. We eventually ran into people and they were very nice. The exterior of the motel is not in the best shape. This made local residents concerned about the crime activity. There have been reports from local residents of violence, prostitution, and drug dealing in the vicinity of this motel. This is probably why the Mosley Motel only charged a nightly rate of $25 during its operation. Some would relate to this establishment as being as being a last resort for those who were one paycheck away from being on the street or those making a small wage. Subway
The Subway sandwich shop was the first main building we entered which was attached to the Motel seemed badly vandalized, but still had 90% of its equipment and furniture such as cash registers, ovens, fridges, containers, and even banners. Subway hasn't removed any signage from the building. It also had lots of employee records and calendars, all dated back to 2013. The amount of trash and blankets that was there signified that some homeless people may currently reside in the building.
Club
Behind the lobby and Subway seemed like a club or bar that the motel once offered; similar to the Club Europe at the Solaris Building in Atlanta near Spaghetti Junction. The room featured lounge booths, two main stages, and a full bar. As we were walking through we noted a lot of decorations that said, "Class of 2010" for some reason. One cool thing was that one of the thermostats was still in working condition due to being run off batteries. The AC Unit itself didn't operate due to the lack of power in the building. I'm unsure if the bar remained open for another year after the motel's closure, but i'm positive Subway was the last tenant to leave the property in 2013.
Interior
Next, I entered the the lobby which was very dark due to the front entrance being boarded up. The Mosley Motel sign in the lobby was still hanging and the desks were flooded with papers. Room keys were also found in drawers and some were even hanging on top of the wall. We discovered loaded suitcases with unused toiletries such as shaving cream, tooth brushes, and toothpaste. There was no carpet on the floor and tile was placed throughout all units. I'm sure the hotel had carpet at some point prior to any renovations. Inside, each room was set up like a studio apartment with everything all in one room, except for the bathroom. Each of the units include: A stove with two burners, a small fridge, a chair, a queen size bed and a full bathroom. Some rooms considered suites, offered futons for extra bedding. The motel had 229 rooms in total.
Safety Issues
In late 2009, the Mosley Motel was first alerted by the Fulton County Code Enforcement of its structure containing mold, faulty wiring, problematic plumbing and broken windows. Tony Phillips who is head of the Fulton Code Enforcement stated:
"It is not a place you would put anybody you care about. Years ago, this was a tourist area for Six Flags and now it is something different. They are hotels and motels in name only. These are places where people live and the rooms are not designed for that type of occupancy."
With Phillips thinking the violations would be fixed, the Fulton County Health Department re-inspected the property in late January 2010 and closed the Mosley Motel until renovations were completed. Residents of the Motel were forced out and many of them had nowhere to go or could afford to move elsewhere. Some nearby apartment complexes heard about the situation and even offered lowered rent to the residents that were told to leave. By February 3, 2010 all residents had to vacate the property and the city labeled the motel as closed. The Subway that was attached to the Mosley Motel closed later in 2013; three years afterwards.
Overall the structures other than Subway are in bad shape. The concrete is starting to crumble to the ground below and on the upper levels as well. All of the safety railings are gone and if you ever want to visit, be extremely careful near the balconies and the stairwell. Without being properly aware, you are at risk of falling off the side of the building or getting injured. Always remember to never visit any abandoned place alone, and to always be accompanied by someone.
Today
The Mosley Motel's website is still fully active. It's a great source to use to see some older pictures of when the motel was in a better shape. The Mosley Motel has several locations in St. Petersburg (Florida) , Gary (Indiana) and Wickliffe (Ohio). In 2016, the St. Petersburg location faced the same fate as the Atlanta location, after the city posted evictions for all residents. Unlike the Florida location which is planned for redevelopment, there are no future redevelopment plans for the Atlanta location as of July 2017.
Sources:
- · http://www.tampabay.com/news/humaninterest/last-of-the-final-mosley-motel-residents-escorted-from-premises/2296260
- · http://www.mosleymotel.com/
- · http://mosleymotel.4t.com/
Good stuff!
ReplyDeleteOF COURSE there’s a Mosley Motel in Gary, Indiana…this place was made for Gary.
ReplyDelete