Frederick City Council heard from residents who want parts of the Birely Tannery preserved, and called for the company building a hotel over top of the historic site to implement equal hiring practices.

The Birely Tannery was a historic site in downtown Frederick. It was demolished in 2017 to make room for a new hotel and convention center intended to bolster the city’s economy.

On Thursday, the Frederick City Council held a meeting to discuss agreements with the Maryland Historic Trust and Plamondon Hospitality Partners, which will build the hotel.

According to Plamondon’s website for the hotel, visitors are looking for a place to stay in downtown Frederick. It is estimated the hotel would bring in $26,000,000 in additional revenue each year, according to Plamondon.

Willie Mahone, the president of the NAACP’s Frederick chapter, is concerned little of that wealth will be seen by city residents. Mahone argued that the city council should require Plamondon to implement equal hiring practices for race and gender.

“We had advocated that a condition be imposed that when the hotel/conference center goes into operation, that the ethnic minorities and women in this area participate at every level,” Mahone said.

Those at the meeting were not only looking to the future of the city, but also into its past.

Todd Offutt of Frederick argued the current efforts to archive the historic landmark were insufficient. Offutt referenced the Mulberry Hill farmhouse which, in 2009, had been transported more than a mile. He feels the remaining Tannery smokestack should be given the same treatment.

“Historical accounts, shelved on dusty book shelves, shiny plaques on a wall and electronic archives are no substitute for bricks and mortar,” Offutt said.

Dates for the construction and completion of the hotel have not been announced.