This petition urges the developer and funders of Project Pascalis to reclaim and update, not demolish, the Johnson Drug Store and The Commercial Hotel (Hotel Aiken) for the following eleven reasons:

1. Historic preservation has fostered more urban revitalization and sustainable growth than any other strategy.​

2. Both historic buildings attest to a black owned business that flourished inside and next to a white owned hotel during the early 20th century.

3. The restrained, Colonial Revival style of The Commercial Hotel recalls the heritage of early colonial South Carolina, when a diverse economy thrived and few slaves existed. This heritage was deemed a usable past by the Aiken Winter Colony, founded by a group of Harvard University and New York City intellectuals concerned with renewing American democracy from the perspective of criticizing materialism, racism, and jingoism.

4. A recent survey found millennials value older buildings with character where they live work and play.

5. Both buildings give Aiken an edge in today’s authenticity-driven consumer landscape.

6. Lucrative historic tax credits are available. 

7. Expensive failures in revitalization have nearly always had the destruction of a historic building on the top of their list. 

8. Both buildings aid in the rebuilding of a genuine, purposeful Aiken brand.

9. Replacing the largest historic building in historic downtown Aiken with a new one designed to look old is like hanging a copy of the Mona Lisa in the middle of a museum gallery. 

10. The interior of the Commercial Hotel offers the unique features of tall ceilings, original hardwood floors, and large windows.

11. The Willcox Hotel, originally slated for demolition during the 1970’s because of safety reasons, was ranked in 2016 by Travel + Leisure as the 7th best hotel in the world and the best in the South.