Commodore Building brings new idea to Perry

“Over the last year we've turned a pile of dirt into a very beautiful historical building that we're very proud of."

PERRY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— It’s an idea that’s three years in the making. The land the Commodore Building sits on was just a dirt lot one year ago. Now, it’s a finished building.

Building owner, Meredith Lockerman, says seeing her idea come to life is a dream come true.

“Over the last year we’ve turned a pile of dirt into a very beautiful historical building that we’re very proud of. Downstairs we have restaurant space available for lease and upstairs we have three short term rental units,” said Lockerman.

Perry Mayor Randall Walker, says the Commodore shows the direction of where the city’s growth is headed.

“We have a large number of visitors who have asked us about Airbnb’s downtown. They may be coming through doing genealogy, or they may want to come to Food Truck Friday and not drive home,” Mayor Walker said. “So it’s very important that we get the loft or Airbnb’s apartments constructed here in Perry.”

Mayor Walker says the city liked the idea of the Commodore so much, they wanted more buildings just like it. There’s one already in the works on Northside Drive across from the Event Center.

“This will be a continuous thing that’s going to be going on. We also have some above Orleans, the restaurant that’s down in the 800 block of Carroll Street,” he said. “So it’s something that’s caught on here. We should have a number of them within the next year here in downtown.”

Lockerman says each unit has a book filled with the history of Perry. Guests can also learn about famous Perry natives during their stay. The three units are actually named after famous Perry natives.

“Deborah Roberts, James Farmer, and Casey Hayward are all from Perry and have gone on to do amazing things,” she said. “Also they’ve turned around and given back to their community in amazing ways. So we’re super proud of them. We featured each of them in the units so the visitors to our community will know that they’re from here and have a little showcase and know what they’ve done for our community.”

The Commodore is waiting on its certificate of occupancy from the city. Once that comes through, it will have the three rentals listed on Airbnb.