Cedar Lodge on Route 1 sold and closed; will reopen after renovation
Cedar Lodge, one of the few remaining 1950s-era motels that once dotted the Richmond Highway corridor, has been sold and closed down. It will get a major renovation before reopening as a different motel, according to members of the new ownership team.
Zangana Hospitality, Inc. purchased Cedar Lodge from Saleh Inc. for $4 million on September 20, according to Fairfax County property records.
Cedar Lodge will be renovated in the coming months and reopen under a new name, according to Naser Wagiealla, one of the new owners who is overseeing cleanup work currently being done at the motel. Wagiealla said the new ownership plans to eventually tear down the building and construct a new hotel.
Cedar Lodge long had a reputation for crime and drug use, and has fallen into disrepair after years of neglect. A Zangana employee showed Covering the Corridor the condition of some of the rooms, as well as cell phone images taken before cleanup work began. The pictures showed filthy living spaces strewn with trash, broken furniture and belongings left behind by former tenants. One video shared by the employee showed roaches and other bugs crawling all over a room’s floor and wall.
Wagiealla said the motel needs to be completely gutted. Toilets, sinks, mattresses and curtains have already been torn out of many of the rooms. Trees and bushes around the property are also already being cut back. The roof will need to be redone and a garden is planned for the parking lot, Wagiealla said.
Located at the corner of Richmond Highway and Fairhaven Avenue, Cedar Lodge was built in 1952. Saleh Inc., who also owns the nearby Brookside Motel, had owned Cedar Lodge since 1978. The motel was originally named the Harry Smith Motel, after the first owner, before becoming the Cedar Lodge approximately 15 years ago.
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