TIFTON — Harold Harper Sr., who many have credited with kickstarting the revitalization of downtown Tifton, passed away on Feb. 12.

Harper, 89, passed away peacefully at his home, according to his obituary.

Spud Bowen, who, along with Harper, had breakfast every Sunday morning before church, said that Harper was always concerned with the direction Tifton was going in.

“If you look at his story, it was a true American success story,” Bowen said.

Harper moved to Tifton in 1956, after first coming to the area while working as a surveyor with the State Highway Department (now the Department of Transportation) and started his own company, Harper Surveying.

Since then, Harper has been a driving force in taking old, usually historic buildings and bringing them back to life.

“Downtown Tifton probably wouldn’t exist without Harold Harper,” Bowen said. “When I came back to Tifton in 1988 you could stand down at 82 and look back north and fire a shotgun all the way down through Main Street and never hit a car. And now at night when I go down there I have to look for a parking spot.”

Bowen credits Harper and his vision for spurring development downtown.

He renovated the old Myon Hotel, the old train depot located on Central Avenue, and what used to be called Rigsby Apartments among other projects.

His most recently completed project, The Lofts at Twin Brick, took an old warehouse that used to store tobacco and Coca-Cola bottles and revived it, turning it into upscale apartments with a restaurant, Fresco Italiano, at the front of the building.

“There are so many other cities that would be pretty good if they had a Harold Harper,” Bowen said.

Tifton Vice Mayor Wes Ehlers said that Harper was “a visionary.”

“He was always focused on creating better places for people,” Ehlers said. “There aren’t many people who put their heart and soul into a community like Mr. Harper has. His developments are a testament to his legacy and will live on for generations.”

The funeral service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 15. The family will receive friends Thursday, Feb. 14 from 6-8 p.m. at Albritton Funeral Home.