Baptist Retirement The Winecoff Hotel -- a beginning
"Built in 1913 by renowned architect, William Lee Stoddard, the Winecoff Hotel was one of Atlanta's tallest and most luxurious hotels. Standing fifteen stories tall with an open-air terrace dining room, coffee shop and lounge, the hotel was strategically located in the heart of Atlanta's retail district.
On the night of December 7, 1946, the hotel was filled to capacity with over 280 guests including shoppers, travelers, World War II soldiers eager to rebuild their lives, and 40 of Georgia's most promising high school students who had come to attend a mock legislation.
Around three o'clock in the morning, the elevator operator noticed the smell of smoke around the fifth floor. Panicked, she descended to the lobby then stumbled out of the elevator screaming, "Fire! Fire!"
Unbeknownst to her, the fire had already completely engulfed floors three, four and five. For employees of the hotel and the guests who were awake, realization and reaction would come quickly. But for the guests who were asleep, survival would come at a much higher price.
According to their stationery, the hotel was advertised as being absolutely fireproof, even though it was designed without fire alarms, fire escapes or a sprinkler system.
Builder William Winecoff died in the disaster, as did his wife and 117 others. The building stood empty and deserted until 1950 when it was reconstructed and equipped with many fire safety features. It reopened as the Peachtree on Peachtree Hotel. Sadly, the hotel never regained its former glory and prosperity." In 1967 owner Fred Beasley donated the building to the Georgia Baptist Convention, charging Baptists to establish a ministry for elderly on the very site where so many had perished. This was the birth of what is today Baptist Retirement Communities of Georgia, then known as Georgia Baptist Homes.
The hotel in 1981 was sold to a real estate conglomerate. Using the proceeds from the sale, Paces Ferry Apartments were purchased.
(Source and for further information on the fire: http://www.winecoffhotelfire.com/winecoffdoc2.html)