Clermont update: Not so much for sale

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BLONDIE STILL IN ACTION: The Clermont Lounge’s infamous beer-can-crusher will be available for your viewing pleasure. (Photo by Joeff Davis)

We heard back from Inman Park properties agent Danny Glusman and he tells us that, while the company has been marketing the Clermont Hotel, the idea is to attract investors, not buyers.

Inman Park Properties bought the 1940-era hotel nearly five years ago from its longtime owner, Lillian Loudermilk, for an undisclosed price that likely was between $3 million and $4 million. But the company, which owns a number of historic buildings in Atlanta and Savannah, kept the hotel’s veteran management team in place and, apart from putting up a few new signs, seemingly hasn’t changed so much as a curtain.

Glusman says he’s shopping for a “renovation partner to invest in the hotel” so his company can make some much-needed repairs and bring the property up to code. The hotel, for instance, is possibly the last building in Atlanta to employ full-time elevator operators. (And, speaking as a former short-term resident, I wouldn’t be surprised if simply replacing the carpeting qualifies as a Superfund project.) Glusman, however, wouldn’t reveal how much money is needed to fix up the property.

As for the beloved Clermont Lounge, Glusman says there are no plans to fix what ain’t broke: Blondie and crew are welcome to keep gyrating downstairs as long as their pelvic joints hold out.