Since opening in the late 1980s, Rime Garden Inn quickly emerged as one of Irondale’s most popular hotels. At the height of it’s success, several Fortune 500 companies including; AT&T, Motion Industries, Alabama Power and EWTN designated Rime Garden Inn as their preferred local facility for corporate training, meetings, conferences and executive transitional housing.

Over the years the property slipped into a deep decline as the result of; numerous ownership changes, reduced emphasis on property maintenance and the conversion of several apartment units to extended stay hotel rooms.

This resulted in this once premier property becoming a major blighted property and a huge concern of residents living in the adjacent Holiday Gardens Neighborhood.

Additionally, the property became a major concern of the City of Irondale, due to increased criminal activity and the high number of reported City ordinance violations.

In late 2015, Irondale City Councilors – John London and Bobby Joe Wilson along with members of the Holiday Gardens Neighborhood Association, formed a task force to revitalize the Rime Garden property. This group’s primary mission was to develop a vision and strategy that would lead to the revitalization of the Rime Garden Inn property.  Additionally, they worked directly with potential property developers and investors to ensure that the vision of community stakeholders were a key component of any redevelopment project.

District 5 Irondale City Councilor- Bobby Joe Wilson, commented, ” My job is to advocate on behalf of the citizens of my district. Regardless of the project long term sustainability relies on patronage and support of local citizens.”

As a result of the hard work and dedication of this small group of citizens working in unison with Irondale elected officials and City of Irondale leadership, the former Rime Gardens Inn is now in the midst of a major transformation.

The property was recently purchased by a new investment group that have started construction of new upscale apartment homes and small retail units.  The new property will be named The Village at Grants Mill .

According to Irondale City Council President- John London, ” This project is a perfect example of how success relies on a team approach.  No one person or group can do it all, collectively is the only way to take Irondale to the next level.”