FAIRHOPE — The old Fairhope Hardware building is set to be demolished soon, city leaders recently confirmed to GCM.

Located at 301 Fairhope Ave., the building was first constructed in 1922 and has been the home of several storefronts and outlets over the years, including department stores, a Piggly Wiggly and, of course, Fairhope Hardware.

It has been designated as a "contributing" building within the Fairhope Downtown Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, the building has remained vacant since its last business closed in 2018.

The City of Fairhope approved a permit to demolish the building, which includes removing the mural on its side, painted by local artist America Tickle in 2003. To say goodbye to the mural, locals gathered for a flash mob on Wednesday, Oct. 8, to take one last photo before the building is gone for good.

Once the building is torn down, the lot will eventually be replaced with something new. Not much is known about what could replace the old building, but the City of Fairhope previously had talks with local planners to turn it into commercial space.

Previous plans showed the new space would include retail and restaurant space on the first floor and a hotel on the second and third floors. However, as previously reported by GCM, plans stalled in December 2024 due to the need to address parking space at and around the site.