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FORT MILL, S.C. -- The Heritage USA tower and hotel was once the pride of Fort Mill and the staple of the PTL Ministry. But after the fall of evangelist Jim Bakker, it's become an eyesore.
Now, there are plans are in the works to give the tower new life.
"I think it's going to be the jewel of the county," said Rick Joyner, president of MorningStar Ministries.
With Crumbling bricks and exposed beams, just two years ago the building had a date with the wrecking ball. But Joyner has a different vision.
"Pool, health club -- it's actually going to have a doctor's and dentist and hairstyling, a top-notch restaurant at the top," Joyner said.
Joyner wants to turn the tower into a housing development for seniors with 200 residences ranging from $100,000 to $500,000.
"From like a studio apartment to a pretty big 2,500-square-feet," he said.
As Joyner waits for the York County Council to give him the go ahead, he says half the units are already reserved. They are marketing to a specific group.
"It will be for Christians and our specialization is those who really want to use their senior years in missions," Joyner said.
The project will, in essence, rise up from the ruins of the old PTL, where Jim and Tammy Fae Bakker built Heritage USA into the nation's No. 3 tourist attraction before it collapsed in a sex and fraud scandal.
The tower is in the Regent Park neighborhood surrounded by beautiful homes, a golf course and country club. The tower is what many call the "eyesore."
"I don't think it's a bad idea. Seniors need a place to live," said Regent Park homeowner Barnet Peterman.
Another resident said, "I'm just really excited. I have parents starting to get that age."
Joyner believes this could be the next major growth industry for York County.
"In BusinessWeek last year and on AOL, they named Fort Mill as the No. 4 place in the world to retire," he said. "We have the visibility because we have the previous scandal."
