Networking with Historic Augusta

HISTORIC
AUGUSTA NEWS Volume 33, No. 3: Special Edition September 2007
Historic Augusta, Inc.
Officers:
Clayton P. Boardman III
President
W. Tennent Houston
First Vice President
Jean V. Chadwick
Second Vice President
Stephanie C. Woodward
Secretary
W. Cameron Nixon
Treasurer
Staff:
Erick D. Montgomery
Executive Director
Julia N. Jackson
Programs & Marketing Director
Mary Bordeaux
Administrative Assistant
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Visit us at
www.HistoricAugusta.org
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www.wilsonboyhoodhome.org
Contact us at:
info@historicaugusta.org
Special Edition
To get from West Augusta and The Hill to downtown, it is virtually impossible to  avoiddriving through the Harrisburg-West End Historic District. You either go down Broad Street, Battle Row or John C. Calhoun Expressway, or you travel along its southern border, Walton Way, or its northern edge, Riverwatch Parkway. Many people may not realize that this is one of Augusta’s richest historic areas, boasting significant historical events dating to colonial days. A Revolutionary War siege took place there. It was the center of a large tobacco trade before cottonwas king. The first location of the Augusta Arsenal was there. The Augusta Canal traversed through it. The Confederate government built their famous powder works there during the Civil War.
Since the 1880s, however, Harrisburg has been known as Augusta’s mill village district. Both Sibley and King Mills were built there, employing hundreds of workers, many coming from surrounding rural areas to look for work. Cottages were built to house these workers and their families. Businesses sprang up to provide goods and services, particularly the corner store variety.
Churches were located there, many originally being missions of older downtown or Summerville congregations representing the Methodist,Baptist,Episcopal,Presbyterian and Christiandenominations. Schools were built to educate the young, some of whom also had to work in the mills to help make ends meet.
As Bryan Haltermann’s article explains on page 5, in recent years, the Harrisburg-West End Historic District has been declining. But the Historic Properties Committee of Historic Augusta sees hope, and decided to include it in our 2008 Endangered Properties List to focus attention on the plight of an entire historic district. If not checked soon, this neighborhood will be harder to save, and an organized effort needs to be put forth to bring about its revitalization. Another diamond in the rough in downtown is the 500 block of Ninth Street, now called James Brown Boulevard. In the past couple of years, the east side of this block has been beautifully rehabbed by Boone Knox as offices for the new bankruptcy court building. The formerly decrepit buildings now look practically new, and are being used on a daily basis by attorneys,
clerks and judges. But the west side of the block still sits in a state of neglect. Happily, all of these buildings are owned by preservation minded people who have long term plans to preserve
(Continued on page 2)
SECOND ANNUAL ENDANGERED PROPERTIES LIST
ANNOUNCED BY HISTORIC AUGUSTA
By Erick Montgomery, Historic Augusta Executive Director
The Harrisburg-
West End Historic
District is lined
with rows of
modest housing.
Increasingly, the
neighborhood is
threatened by
disinvestment and
lack of protection.
�� Left: A row of
shotgun houses
on Crawford
Avenue.
Corner stores were once
essential to the
convenience of
Harrisburg residents,
and provide an
opportunity for small
businesses in the
21st Century. ��
�� Although established in the late 18th
Century, the cotton mills that were built
in the 1880s changed the character of
Harrisburg into the mill village that is
well known today. Above: the office of
King Mill, 1701 Goodrich Street, is shown
to the right and the Confederate Powder
Works Chimney is shown to the left.
them. By placing this block on our 2008 Endangered Properties List, we hope to help find solutions and focus attention on this important
historic row of downtown Augusta buildings.
Three individual buildings are included on the 2008 Endangered Properties List. Lam’s Store at the southeast corner of Eleventh
and D’Antignac Street is representative of the quintessential corner store, once so prevalent in urban areas like Augusta. Now
vacant in the Laney-Walker Historic District, it is hoped that a new use can be found for this picturesque structure by some enterprising
entrepreneur.
The Lowrey Wagon Factory, also known as the Confederate Shoe Factory, at the southwest corner of Ninth (James Brown
Boulevard) and Ellis Street, was built in 1860 on the eave of the Civil War. It was confiscated for use as a shoe factory by the Confederate
government and at the end of the war in June 1865, the African American churches of the city organized Augusta’s first
black school there. Jacob Lowrey finally got it back, and made wagons there for decades. At one time was a warehouse for the
nearby J. B. White Department Store and later it was part of McElmurray’s Bicycle Shop. In recent years it was purchased by a local
group of investors and was slated for rehab, but a new investor is needed to carry out the plan. Inclusion on the Endangered Properties
List hopefully will focus attention on this unique historic building.
The W. S. Hornsby House was the grand dame of the Bethlehem neighborhood in its day. As the home of one of Augusta’s
most prominent families that was associated with the Pilgrim Life Insurance Company, the house represented the prosperity to which
many African American families aspired, but which few were able to attain until more recent years. This Colonial Revival house,
built on Twiggs Street, which was then part of U.S. Highway 1, must have impressed visitors who drove into town from the south.
Now essentially vacant, the house is in need of renovation to return it to its former status. It is perhaps representative of the plight of
the entire Bethlehem neighborhood, which is quickly losing its historic integrity due to disinvestment, neglect, demolition and vagrancy.
The Historic Properties Committee, chaired by Anne Catherine Murray, has chosen to focus on only five listings for 2008.
This was by design, and from experience. The 2007 list was longer, partly because it was the first and there were so many possibilities.
But we were wading into new waters, and just a bit unsure of what we might encounter. Our experience with the 2007 list turned
out to be very positive, and we realized that it was a tool that could be used to find investors who otherwise would not have known
about these irreplaceable historic gems.
Accordingly, a second reason for making the list shorter is so that we can focus on results and finding solutions for preserving
these buildings. It doesn’t mean that others, not on the list, will not get our attention as the need arises, but it helps us to concentrate
our energy on the few historic buildings with the greatest need, or which represent a type. Of course, by listing Harrisburg-West End
Historic District, we are including over a thousand buildings. All of those are not endangered individually, but collectively, the
neighborhood needs a symbolic life preserver so the current trends can be reversed. Sadly, we might have chosen several other historic
neighborhoods in Augusta to be the poster child, but there is positive energy in Harrisburg that we hope to tap in order to help
reverse the trends there.
Historic Augusta’s mission is to preserve historically or architecturally significant structures and sites in Augusta and Richmond
County, Georgia. We are pleased that our experience with the 2007 Endangered Properties List helped us accomplish that goal, as
you will see in Anne Catherine Murray’s article starting on page 9. Please examine the places listed in the following pages, and drive
around to see them for yourself. While you’re at it, take a look at the ones highlighted on the 2007 list too. If you see something that
you can help with, let us know. Networking about historic preservation is one of our most important tools. And let us know if you
have any questions, or if you have any suggestions for the 2009 list. Together, we can make sure Augusta’s irreplaceable legacy of
history and architecture is preserved for future generations to enjoy.
(Continued from page 1)
◄ Martha Lester School at 1688
Broad Street is used by the
Richmond County Board of
Education for its music
program, but needs cosmetic
improvement and preventive
maintenance to insure its longterm
survival.
Page 2 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition September 2007
Historic Properties
Committee Members
Anne Catherine Murray, Chair
B. J. Blackwood
Clay Boardman
Ed Cashin
Roger Duke
Anne Floyd
Bryan Haltermann
Tennent Houston
Paul King
Lillian Magruder
Chris Miller-Betts
Ellen Pruitt
Historic Augusta Staff
Erick Montgomery
Julia Jackson
Mary Bordeaux
NATIONAL AND STATE
PRESERVATION ORGANIZATIONS
SUPPORT HISTORIC AUGUSTA’S
EFFORTS
September 2007 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition Page 3
�� The two-story building (top left) at 221 Crawford Avenue, served as a
business on the first floor, with residential quarters above.
�� Some of the homes found in the southern half of the historic district, nearer to Walton Way, are often larger with more architectural
features, representing the middle class residents of Harrisburg-West End. This Queen Anne cottage is located at 1701 Jenkins Street.
HARRISBURG-WEST END HISTORIC DISTRICT
Address: Roughly bounded by Walton Way on the South, Chafee
Avenue on the East, Augusta Canal on the North, and Tubman
Street on the West. See map below for complete boundaries.
Owner: Multiple owners.
History and Significance: See article, page 5.
Threat: Inappropriate alterations and vacancy, inappropriate infill,
bisected by Calhoun Expressway, district not protected as
a locally designated historic district.
Potential Uses: Harrisburg should thrive as a residential community
where neighborhood stores and churches blend harmoniously
with the character of the district.
Preservation Tools: (1) Harrisburg-West End Historic District is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and therefore
individual properties are eligible for all programs of the
National Register, including grant funds and tax incentives
for certified rehabilitation. (2) If any future Federal or Federally-
assisted projects are planned that affect the district, the
plans must be reviewed by the Georgia Historic Preservation
Division, and potentially by the President’s Advisory Council
for Historic Preservation.
The Harrisburg-West End
Historic District was listed
in the National Register of
Historic Places on June 7,
1990. This map shows its
official boundaries, which
is segmented by John C.
Calhoun Expressway.
Page 4 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition September 2007
�� Mill housing
was often
constructed for
the workers by
the company.
These flats are
located at
1652-1658
Broad Street
and were built
in the 1880s.
Harrisburg-West End is a historic residential neighborhood
that lies between the Augusta Downtown Historic District and
the Summerville Historic District. The Augusta Canal National
Historic Landmark District bisects it on its northern end.
Harrisburg-West End was listed in the National Register of
Historic Places in 1990, but has never been adopted as a local
historic district that is protected under the Augusta Historic
Preservation Ordinance. The area is threatened by poor
maintenance and lack of investment.
Its roots are in the late-18th century when Ezekiel Harris
developed a plantation on the “White House Tract” of colonial
and Revolutionary War fame. Harris’ property stretched from
the present day John C. Calhoun Expressway to the Savannah
River. In 1797 he built a fine house that is now a museum
operated by the Augusta Museum of History.
Harris laid out a village and named it for himself. Prior to
the Civil War, it was sparsely populated and was considered a
rural suburb of Augusta. The Confederate Powder Works were
built there in 1862. The area grew dramatically after the Augusta
Canal was expanded in 1875 resulting in an enlarged local
textile industry in the 1880s and 1890s. Large, open tracts of
land were subdivided into small lots for small dwellings built to
house the mill workers. Both Sibley Mill (1880) and King Mill
(1882) were established along the canal, providing employment
for large numbers of the new residents.
Today small frame cottages line a grid of streets west of
Fifteenth Street and east of Heard Avenue and from Broad Street
south to Walton Way. The area’s key corridors are Battle Row,
Eve Street, Crawford Avenue, and Broad Street. Late 19thcentury
and early 20th-century houses, churches, schools and
corner stores help create Harrisburg’s residential character.
The area has physically deteriorated during the last decade.
Rental housing is often not well-maintained. The result is a
general trend of disinvestment – the process where buildings are
poorly maintained and property values are either stagnant or
declining.
The good news is that there is positive development along
the boundaries of Harrisburg. The medical complex east of
Fifteenth Street is expanding toward the west. There are plans to
renovate the Sibley Mill and build a Salvation Army Kroc
Center along the northern edge of the neighborhood.
Summerville continues to be a strong neighborhood on the
western edge of Harrisburg, which helps to stabilize that side of
the historic district.
The challenge is to spur private investment and preservation
minded renovation in the collection of mostly one-story cottages
that make up Harrisburg. A new era of positive investment will
insure the neighborhood’s life as a clean, safe, and attractive
place to live. The potential for Harrisburg is also to knit together
three established historic districts – Downtown, Summerville
and the Augusta Canal – and help Augusta to become a vibrant
and integrated city with prosperous historic districts in the 21st
century.
THE HARRISBURG-WEST END HISTORIC DISTRICT
By Bryan Haltermann
�� Christ Episcopal Church, 1902
Greene Street. Historic churches of
most major denominations are
sprinkled throughout the district.
Many families have attended these
congregations for generations, yet
no longer live in the neighborhood.
Even Harrisburg has a “downtown”
row of commercial buildings.
These brick and frame structures
are located in the 1800 block of
Broad Street at the southwest
corner of Crawford Avenue.
They date from the 1880s. ��
September 2007 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition Page 5
W.S. HORNSBY HOUSE
Address: 1518 Twiggs Street
Owner: Privately held
History and Significance: The home was built in 1916 for W.
S. Hornsby, Sr., a co-founder of the Pilgrim Health and
Life Insurance Company. Its Colonial Revival style, so
popular among the affluent people of the early 20th Century,
is representative of the triumphant business success
of an African American family that most people of color in
that era aspired to, but were unable to achieve.
Threat: Severely neglected. Located in an area that is under
attack by demolition and neglect.
Preservation Tools: (1) A contributing resource in the Bethlehem
Historic District, which is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places, and is therefore eligible for all programs
of the National Register, including grant funds and tax incentives for
certified rehabilitation. (2) As this resource is located in the Bethlehem
neighborhood, it is a potential candidate for funding from the
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, since Laney-
Walker is a low to moderate income neighborhood.
Potential Uses: Single family home
LAM’S STORE
Address: 1024-1026 D’Antignac Street
Owner: Straightway Full Gospel Baptist Church
History and Significance: Lam’s Store is a quintessential
example of the traditional corner store that
is found in historic residential neighborhoods
throughout the United States. Retail was located
on the first floor, and residential space for the
owner was on the second. This building was constructed
before 1872 when it appears on the Augusta
Bird’s Eye View Map. At the time, this area
was known as “Dublin” because of the many Irish
immigrants who settled here.
Threat: Vacant and deteriorating.
Preservation Tools: (1) A contributing resource in the
Laney-Walker North Historic District, and therefore
eligible for all programs of the National Register
of Historic Places including grant funds and
tax incentives for certified rehabilitation. (2) As
this resource is located in the Laney-Walker
neighborhood, it is a potential candidate for funding
from the U.S. Department of Housing and
Urban Development, since Laney-Walker is a low
to moderate income neighborhood.
Potential Uses: Store or restaurant; offices; professional.
�� Front view of Lam’s,
showing parapet
façade and iron
balcony.
�� Rear (south) and
west side view.
�� The Hornsby House, a fine Colonial Revival style home, represents the financially
successful African-American family of the early 20th Century.
Page 6 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition September 2007
Built as the Palace
Theater in 1920, this
building at 531-533
Ninth Street was a local
African American
landmark, housing the
Red Star Restaurant that
catered to rail
passengers, socially
prominent Augustans,
and celebrities alike. ��
500 BLOCK OF NINTH STREET, WEST SIDE
Address: Westside addresses only, 501-533 Ninth Street (James
Brown Boulevard)
Owner: Privately held
History and Significance: This row of buildings is a surviving remnant
of Augusta’s historic commercial core. Located across Ninth
Street from the former Union Passenger Station, these buildings
housed businesses that catered to the traveling public. The one at
the southern end was built as the Palace Theater in 1920, providing
silent movies for an African American audience. It was also
the Red Star restaurant, famous for its fried chicken and its notable
clientele. The Red Star also had rooms upstairs for blacks,
since they were not welcomed at the James Hotel across the
street. The other buildings had various stores on the first floor,
with residential units above. The one on the corner of Telfair
Street housed a drugstore, with rooms for rent on the second
floor. Architecturally, there is an eclectic mix of Second Empire, Renaissance
Revival and Moorish designs, all popular in their respective
periods of original construction.
Threat: Some of the buildings are vacant and deteriorating. There is development
pressure on all sides, which can be a positive or a negative influence on the future
of these historic buildings. The bankruptcy court and offices have been developed
across the street to the east. The Judicial Center is being planned two
blocks to the south. A large vacant lot sits ripe for development immediately
behind these buildings to the west. The new Augusta Public Library is being
built on the opposite corner of Telfair Street to the northeast. And the fate of the
present public library buildings to the north has yet to be determined.
Preservation Tools: (1) A contributing resource in the Augusta Downtown Historic
District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and is therefore
eligible for all programs of the National Register, including grant funds and
tax incentives for certified rehabilitation. (2) Located in the Downtown Augusta
Local Historic District, which means any alterations to the exterior, including
demolition should be approved by the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission.
Potential Uses: Restaurants; stores; commercial; attorney offices; professional
buildings serving the nearby courthouses; loft apartments.
�� Damiano’s store, at 523 Ninth Street, is the last vestige of
business activity on this block, still selling drinks, snacks and
novelty items.
�� This is a fine example of at Second Empire
Townhouse at 511-513 Ninth Street,
a popular urban style in America after the
Civil War.
�� This row of late 1Ninth and early 20th Century commercial
buildings line one of downtown Augusta’s most important gateways
that links it to the Laney-Walker Historic District.
September 2007 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition Page 7
The Historic Properties Program of Historic Augusta, Inc.
was established in order to protect and preserve historic properties
by promoting their rehabilitation and monitoring their preservation
in perpetuity.
The goals of this program are accomplished in two ways:
through advocacy, including maintaining our Endangered
Properties List; and by securing and subsequently selling endangered
properties to preservation-minded buyers who will
agree to preserve and maintain the structures. Protective covenants
are attached to the deeds of properties which are sold
through the Historic Properties Program to ensure that the historic
integrity of each property is retained. Purchasers are required
to sign rehabilitation agreements based on the work to be
performed on the structure. All work executed on the property
must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Both the protective covenants and the rehabilitation
measures will be monitored by Historic Augusta, Inc.
Historic Augusta’s Historic Properties Committee often
begins by assisting the present owner of a historic resource with
marketing it to preservation-minded buyers. Through Historic
Augusta’s networks, both locally, and through statewide and
national affiliations, potential buyers can be found who are
looking for investment opportunities. Local residents who are
interested in owning and restoring older properties in historic
neighborhoods often contact Historic Augusta for advice and
assistance in finding something that fits their needs. Others may
simply be interested in relocating to the Southeastern United
States, and want to live in an historic property. Many of these
people find that Augusta is a perfect place for them to relocate.
Both print and Internet advertising helps to find potential investors
through targeted interest groups that are looking for historic
properties.
Ideally, Historic Augusta can be assigned a historic preservation
easement on the properties that it helps to market,
thereby protecting it in perpetuity. There are tax benefits for
property owners who assign easements to a preservation organization
like Historic Augusta.
How properties are saved? Historic properties which have
been deemed eligible for the Historic Properties Program are
saved through:
♦ Donations (Deed of Gift): A donation of property is not
only eligible for tax deductions, but funds raised through the
sale of such properties support future preservation efforts by
Historic Augusta, Inc.
♦ Bargain sales: Bargain sales are sales of real estate to a nonprofit
organization at less than the appraised fair market
value. When the property is subsequently sold by Historic
Augusta, Inc., the money raised will help support future
preservation efforts by Historic Augusta, Inc.
♦ Options to purchase: An option to purchase gives Historic
Augusta, Inc. the exclusive right to purchase the property
during a specified time period at an established price. During
this time period, Historic Augusta, Inc. will locate a qualified
buyer who will agree to preserve the property.
♦ Direct acquisition (Fee Simple Purchase): The outright
purchasing of property is done only in rare instances as it
ties up much-needed capital and may limit Historic Augusta’s
ability to preserve other worthy structures.
HISTORIC AUGUSTA’S HISTORIC PROPERTIES PROGRAM
LOWREY’S WAGON WORKS AND THE CONFEDERATE SHOE FACTORY
Address: 301-303 Ninth Street (James Brown Boulevard)
Owner: Augusta Renaissance Partners, LLC
History and Significance: Built in 1860 as Lowrey Wagon Factory. Used
by Confederate Government as a shoe factory. Site of first school for
African-Americans in Augusta, 1865. Used again by Jacob Lowrey as
a wagon factory for several decades. Became a warehouse for J. B.
White’s and later for McElmurray’s Bicycle Shop.
Threat: Vacant. Needs a developer and a new use.
Preservation Tools: (1) A contributing resource in the Augusta Downtown
Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places, and is therefore eligible for all programs of the National
Register, including grant funds and tax incentives for certified rehabilitation.
(2) Located in the Downtown Augusta Local Historic District,
which means any alterations to the exterior, including demolition
should be approved by the Augusta Historic Preservation Commission.
Potential Uses: loft apartments over a store or restaurant; offices; professional
�� Form follows
function on this
1860 building
constructed as a
wagon factory.
�� The plain façade belies its important history, including its use as a Confederate
shoe factory, and the location of Augusta’s first black school after the Civil War.
Page 8 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition September 2007
When the Historic Properties Committee released its inaugural Endangered Properties List last September, our main goal was to
enlighten the community about its historic assets, the threat to those assets, and the tools available to protect them. The task was not
simple. The initial list consisted of more than thirty structures, one of which was demolished
before we had our second meeting. Questions arose. How do you decide which property is in
more danger? How can we ensure that the owner will be grateful for the assistance rather than
embarrassed by the attention? Is listing a particular property a lost cause and should the coverage
go to one that has a better chance of being saved? Most importantly, we worried what
would happen after the initial hype wore off. We realized that announcing the list would actually
be the easy part and that what we chose to do in the aftermath was critical.
Over the past year, the Historic Properties Committee and Historic Augusta staff have been
meeting and working diligently on a follow-up plan for each of the properties on the 2007 list. I
am so proud to say that despite the level of threat to some of those properties, each one of them
is still standing. Even better news, we can report some true "saves." So our initial pass at this
Endangered List idea has been a success story for preservation in Augusta. Read on to see
where things stand.
Sibley Mill, 1717 Goodrich Street: Though it closed in 2006, causing many to fear it would
rapidly fall into a state of demolition by neglect, the news is good for Sibley Mill. At press time
Historic Augusta Inc. President Clay Boardman has it under contract and is conducting a study
of its potential use and marketability. Given its proximity to the Savannah River, the Augusta
Canal, Harrisburg, and the proposed Kroc Center, not to mention its magnificent architecture
and its place in Augusta history, Sibley's future is looking much brighter than it did a year ago.
Stovall-Barnes House, 1211 Greene Street:
This beautiful 1860 residence sited on Greene Street's gateway to downtown had become
a notorious hangout for drug users. Now it has been purchased by Historic Augusta
Board members Paul King, Tennent Houston and Tom Robertson, who plan to
do a certified rehabilitation as six upscale apartments. This is one of the few antebellum
houses in Augusta that retains its original separate kitchen building. Paul and
Tennent have partnered on other successful rehabs in Downtown Augusta. Tom has
also been responsible for several rehabs and
happens to be a direct descendant of Congressman
George Barnes, for whom the
house is partially named.
1223 Greene Street: Brad Cunningham
grew up in National Hills, and loved visiting
the Coleman-Leigh-Warren Cemetery at the
edge of that neighborhood. A few years ago,
when visiting from his Conyers home, Cunningham
found the cemetery vandalized and in deplorable condition. Although he is no
relation to anyone buried there, he organized descendants of the families that are buried
there as well as some neighbors and friends and together they are working to preserve the
cemetery. In the meantime, he decided he wanted to move back to Augusta and buy and
restore an historic home. He enlisted the help of Historic Augusta Executive Director
Erick Montgomery, who led him to many of the properties on the 2007 Endangered Property
List. Cunningham bought the Robert B. Heath House at 1223 Greene Street and has a
3 to 4 year plan to rehabilitate it using the State
Historic Property Tax Abatement program.
Reynolds Street Depot: As the most visible remaining railroad depot in Augusta,
the Reynolds Street Depot is a valuable part of our architectural and economic history,
having been on this site since the 1850s when the South Carolina Railroad was allowed
to cross the Savannah River. It is under contract to Harry Kitchen of the Foxfield Company
in Savannah, and is part of a larger development that will include mixed residential
(condo), office and perhaps some retail. While there had been talk of cutting the depot in
two, the current plan is to use it as a sales office for the project, and it may be developed
eventually as offices or public event space. We hope to see it rehabilitated as part of the
overall plan for developing that important downtown block, part of the original colonial
settlement in the 1730s.
(Continued on page 10)
UPDATE ON THE 2007 ENDANGERED PROPERTIES LIST
By Anne Catherine Murray, Historic Properties Committee Chair
Sibley Mill, 1717 Goodrich Street
Stovall-Barnes House, 1211 Greene Street
Robert B. Heath House,
1223 Greene Street
Reynolds Street Depot, 511 Reynolds Street
September 2007 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition Page 9
To our knowledge, the
historic Waterworks
Buildings on the Augusta
Canal and on Central Avenue
are in use with no imminent
threat. Historic Augusta
will continue dialogue
with the Augusta
Utilities Department to
encourage them to rehabilitate
the buildings so they
do not fall into further disrepair.
The good news for Greene Street Presbyterian Church and its
congregation is that, though membership has decreased over the years
and closure was in the works, church elders have postponed this procedure.
The church also houses Greater
Augusta Presbyterian Ministries
(GAP), a thriving urban mission
which serves the chronically and
nearly homeless. Pastor Mark
Deaton continues to work wonders
maintaining and restoring the beautiful
1906 church given the limited
resources available. Their next goal
is restore the c.1921 pipe organ. After
seeing the church listed as endangered
last year, Robert L. Mauldin of
2km Architects performed a physical
condition and needs assessment of
the church, which they will use to try
to fundraise for future improve-
(Continued on page 11)
Historic Properties of the Augusta Canal - Third Level: While the
Third Level Canal Task Force lost a mighty warrior with the untimely death of
Charles DeVaney, the group continues to work toward a plan to rehabilitate this
important area. Commissioner Betty Beard is a great proponent of finding alternate
uses for the threatened Crescent Mill, also known as the Southern Milling
Company. The Atlanta Gas Light Company, which owns 811 D'Antignac
Street and Trinity CME Church, reports that these properties are leased to
Miracle Making Ministries. The hope is that between all these parties, the
structures can be rehabilitated for future generations to enjoy. And the owner
of the Denning House at 905 Seventh Street and several properties around it
has met with Historic Augusta to learn more about tax incentives for rehabilitating
the properties.
(Continued from page 9)
Old VA Hospital
The good news is that it is still standing, as are
the former staff quarters near Wrightsboro Road.
The bad news is that we seem to have gone in circles
and still don’t have any real solutions on the
horizon for reusing the building. Part of the problem
is that the policy of the Veteran’s Administration
is that land cannot be sold. Even though they
consider the buildings surplus, they can only be
leased. Unfortunately it is difficult to find an investor
who is willing to sink several million dollars
into a project, yet not own it or actually control it.
There is a possibility that housing will be developed
on the Uptown VA campus to accommodate longterm
stays for families that need to remain near
patients in the hospital. But the formula that has
been developed for that worthy program does not
allow for rehabbing existing buildings. Indeed, one
option for such a development would be to raze the
officers’ duplexes and erect this facility on the
cleared lot. We will continue to try to find a solution
to this particularly difficult preservation problem.
Ideas are welcome and encouraged. ~EM
Southern Milling Company, aka Crescent Mill,
1015 Twiggs Street
Denning House, 905 Seventh Street Trinity C.M.E. Church, 731 Taylor Street
811 D’Antignac Street
Greene Street Presbyterian Church
Waterworks Pumping Station
Page 10 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition September 2007
ments. The Historic Properties
Committee has a good working
relationship with Pastor Deaton
and will provide technical assistance
as they work to keep the
doors of Greene Street Presbyterian
Church open.
The future is still uncertain
for both Saint Benedict's
Boarding School on Twelfth
Street and the Old Davidson
School on Telfair Street. Historic
Augusta has had some brief conversations
with the owner of Saint
Benedict's, and a few parties came
forward and expressed interest last year after learning of the architectural gem
built in 1901 by the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Conception. The
school board boarded up the windows and erected a fence around the Old
Davidson School after the
release of our list last year, but
any plans to preserve the 1934
Art Moderne style school are
unknown. The Historic Properties
Committee will continue
to extend a helping hand of
technical assistance and marketing
venues to these property
owners.
As we developed our
2008 list, we knew we had a
responsibility to still maintain a
focus on those properties from
the previous year whose futures are truly in limbo. Please take time to read the
sidebar articles on the YWCA Gymnasium and Natatorium and the Old VA
Hospital buildings.
Our first experience with the Endangered Properties List tells us that it is an
effective preservation tool. At the very least, we are educating Augusta and the
surrounding area about its forgotten historic gems. We are showing property
owners that alternatives to building neglect and demolition are simply a phone
call away. And we're proving that with a bit of effort, we can build partnerships
within our community to save our precious historic resources.
(Continued from page 10) Old YWCA Gymnasium
and Natatorium
The fate of the old YWCA gymnasium
and natatorium on Greene Street is still uncertain,
but since it was listed on the 2007
Endangered Properties List Historic Augusta
has heard over and over again from Augustans
who have shared fond memories of
swimming, dancing and playing basketball
in this landmark building. All hope to see it
preserved in the near future. To this end,
Historic Augusta applied for and recently
received a small grant by the National Trust
for Historic Preservation from the Charles
Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation Preservation
Fund and the Daniel K. Thorne National
Intervention Fund. Historic Augusta’s
Historic Properties Fund and a donation
from Clay Boardman will match the grant.
The services of Robert L. Mauldin of
2km Architects and Mark V. Capers of Capers
and Associates will be used to assess
the physical needs of the building, to estimate
the costs of those needs and to prepare
a report of those findings which would include
as-built floor plans. Rob, Mark, the
staff of Historic Augusta and the property
owners met last month to discuss plans to
move forward with the assessment project
which is to be completed within a year’s
time. The final report compiled by Mr.
Mauldin will be used by the property owner
to raise much-needed funds for the building’s
rehabilitation or to help market it to a
compatible purchaser.
The 1918 building, designed by Willis
Irvin, was originally built for the Young
Women’s Christian Association for use as an
exercise facility for residents in an adjacent
house as well as other women of the community
and as a meeting space for various
women’s organizations. The gymnasium and
natatorium is currently owned by Saint
Stephen’s Ministries of Augusta, Inc., an
organization dedicated to providing housing
and other services to persons with HIV/
AIDS who are low income or homeless. ~JJ
Houghton School
at 333 Greene Street
is a preservation
success story with
Historic Augusta’s
Historic Properties
Program playing a
significant role in
saving it. After
purchase and
stabilization by Clay
Boardman, it has
been rehabilitation in
the past year and
has found new life as
the home of
Heritage Academy.
The best use for any historic building is its original use, and it was a happy day for
the children, parents, faculty, staff and supporters of the school when it held its
ribbon cutting on August 17.
Saint Benedict’s Boarding School,
1220 Twelfth Street
Old Davidson School, 1114 Telfair Street
September 2007 Historic Augusta News - Special Edition Page 11
Historic Augusta News is
published quarterly by
Historic Augusta, Inc., P.O.
Box 37, Augusta, Georgia
30903-0037. Offices are
located at 415 Seventh
Street. For more information
concerning Historic Augusta,
the Boyhood Homes of
President Woodrow Wilson
and Supreme Court Justice
Joseph R. Lamar, or historic
preservation activities in
Augusta-Richmond County,
call Historic Augusta, Inc.
Phone: 706-724-0436
Fax: 706-724-3083
Wilson House: 706-722-9828
Email:
info@historicaugusta.org
On the web at:
www.historicaugusta.org
www.wilsonboyhoodhome.org
Editor: Mary Bordeaux
Contributing Writers: Erick
Montgomery, Julia Jackson,
Bryan Haltermann, Anne
Catherine Murray
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #152
Augusta, GA
P.O. Box 37
Augusta, GA 30903-0037
Address Service Requested
The Mission of Historic Augusta, Inc. is to preserve historically or architecturally
significant structures and sites in Augusta and Richmond County, Georgia.
Historic Augusta is a non-profit, membershipbased
organization that was founded in 1965 in order to
preserve the built environment of Augusta and Richmond
County. We have saved many buildings through
our Historic Properties Program by placing them into
the hands of preservation-mind buyers. We have influenced
the preservation of countless others through advocacy
and by providing technical expertise. We direct
property owners to available programs such as investment
tax credits for historic rehabilitation, funding
sources, and tools for learning specifics about historic
properties. One of the many projects that we are proud
of is the restoration and preservation of Georgia’s oldest
presidential home where Woodrow Wilson lived as
a boy and which we now operate as a house museum.
How can you get involved with historic preservation
in Augusta? Become a member of Historic Augusta
and support our projects and programs. Attend our annual
Downtown Loft Tour, encourage your child’s
teacher to plan a class visit to the Boyhood Home of
President Woodrow Wilson, join us for a look inside a
historic building during one of our lunchtime Peep ‘n
Eat programs and keep up with what’s going on by reading
our quarterly newsletter.
For more information about how to join Historic
Augusta and for information about our upcoming events,
please visit www.historicaugusta.org or call us at 706-
724-0436.