ATLANTA, Nov. 21, 2019—On Wednesday, November 28, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will host its 10th annual VIC Night, a complimentary evening with Santa for the Very Important Children of Camp Sunshine and Kate’s Club.

Since 2009, children from Camp Sunshine and Kate’s Club and their families have enjoyed a special complimentary evening featuring holiday entertainment, music, arts and crafts, storytelling, refreshments and best of all, personal appointments with Santa at Rhodes Hall.

The event is part of the Georgia’s Trust for Historic Preservation’s annual “Santa at Rhodes Hall” and kicks off with “VIC Night” for the Very Important Children and families of Camp Sunshine and Kate’s Club. The Santa at Rhodes Hall event will be open to the general public on weekends, Dec. 1-16. General tickets are available at www.georgiatrust.org.

WHAT:  Santa to visit kids from Camp Sunshine and Kate’s Club at Rhodes Hall

WHO: Santa at Rhodes Hall
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Children from Camp Sunshine and Kate’s Club

WHEN:  Wednesday, November 28, 5-7 p.m.

WHERE:  Rhodes Hall, 1516 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta, GA 30309

About Camp Sunshine
Camp Sunshine enriches the lives of children with cancer and their families through recreational, educational and support programs. The Camp Sunshine programs allow them to share similar experiences and to participate in activities that promote normal childhood development as they cope with the challenges of childhood cancer. Since 1983, Camp Sunshine has served children and families throughout the state of Georgia.

About Kate’s Club
Kate’s Club empowers children facing life after the death of a parent or sibling. Founded in 2003, Kate’s Club has served over 1,000 children and teens. Kate’s Club provides a variety of social, recreational, and therapeutic activities including clubhouse days, holiday programs, support groups, family nights, and camp. Kate’s Club also serves more grieving kids in the community through support groups in schools and other community organizations and offers grief education to both children and adults as well as crisis response. Kate’s Club’s vision is “A world in which it is okay to grieve.”

About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use. 

The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and awards students and young professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). 

To learn more about The Georgia Trust, visit www.georgiatrust.org.

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ATLANTA, Nov. 7, 2018 — The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released today its 2019 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state.

Sites on the list include: Colquitt County Arts Center  in Moultrie (Colquitt County); Glennwanis Hotel in Glennville (Tattnall County); Huston House at Butler Plantation in Darien (McIntosh County); Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Garden in Savannah (Chatham County); Madison Theatre in Atlanta (DeKalb County); Needwood Baptist Church and School in Brunswick (Glynn County); Rhodes Center South in Atlanta (Fulton County); Springfield Log Cabin School in Union Point (Taliaferro County); and Stark Mill Community Building in Hogansville (Troup County).

“This is the Trust’s fourteenth annual Places in Peril list,” said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Trust. “We hope the list will continue to bring preservation solutions to Georgia’s imperiled historic resources by highlighting ten representative sites.”  

Places in Peril is designed to raise awareness about Georgia’s significant historic, archaeological and cultural resources, including buildings, structures, districts, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.

Through Places in Peril, the Trust will encourage owners and individuals, organizations and communities to employ proven preservation tools, financial resources and partnerships in order to reuse, reinvest and revitalize historic properties that are in peril.

Sites on previous years’ lists include: Madison’s Foster-Thomason-Miller House, an outstanding example of the Aesthetic Movement in Georgia, was purchased through the Madison-Morgan Conservancy’s Revolving Fund; Lyon Farmhouse, one of the oldest houses in DeKalb County, has received funding from the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners to stabilize the historic house; the Harrington School on St Simons Island, which served as the main educational structure for African Americans on the island, recently completed a seven-year restoration; Augusta’s Trinity C.M.E. Church, considered the “Mother” church of the C.M.E. denomination, and which previously sat on contaminated soil, was moved to a new location across the street; the Lee Street Bridge in Americus will be replaced at its current elevation, so as not to adversely affect the neighboring historic Calvary Episcopal Church that was designed by renowned architect Ralph Adams Cram; and unfortunately, the Kolb Street House in Madison, a c.1850 house used as a prison camp for Union soldiers and later as a Confederate hospital, was lost to fire in 2017.

Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use. As one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations, the Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House).

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EDITOR’S NOTE: Summary information on each 2019 Place in Peril follows. For additional background material and more information on each site, please go to www.georgiatrust.org/our-programs/places-in-peril/. Hi-res images of each site can be downloaded at www.bit.ly/2019PlacesinPerilPics. Photo credit should go to Halston Pitman and Nick Woolever of MotorSportMedia.

President and CEO Mark C. McDonald is available for in-person and telephone interviews. Call 404-885-7802 or email tclark@georgiatrust.org.

The Trust will premiere its 2019 list of the 10 Places in Peril in Georgia at a reception tonight (Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018) at Rhodes Hall at 1516 Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta. The evening’s activities, which begin at 6:30 p.m., will include remarks by Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

Summary Information on each Places in Peril Site

Colquitt County Arts Center (Moultrie, Colquitt County)
Designed in 1928 by Atlanta architect William J.J. Chase, the Colquitt County Arts Center originally served as the old Moultrie High School. After being vacated by the Colquitt County Board of Education in the 1970s, the building was rehabilitated into an arts center, which has become the hub for cultural opportunities in the county. The Arts Center is threatened by its current state of disrepair and ongoing maintenance needs. While many campaigns have been orchestrated to raise funding, there is still a significant need to prevent further damages and deterioration.

Glennwanis Hotel (Glennville, Tattnall County)
Dating to 1926, the Glennwanis Hotel in Glennville was once one of the grandest hotels in rural Southeast Georgia. Notable for the time, each guest room had electric lights, steam heat and running hot and cold water. Established to cater to out-of-town guests, the hotel eventually became Glennville’s premier social venue and hub for community life. The greatest threat to the Glennwanis Hotel is severe deterioration after the previous private owner converted large parts of the building into efficiency apartments while failing to properly maintain the structure. At this point, the hotel’s future remains uncertain.

Huston House at Butler Plantation (Darien, McIntosh County)
The Huston House, located on Butler Island, was constructed in 1927 by Colonel T.L. Huston, a former co-owner of the New York Yankees. Butler Island, originally a rice plantation dating to the 1790s, was converted to a dairy and lettuce farm by Huston in the 20th century. After Huston’s death in 1938, the property was purchased by tobacco heir R.J. Reynolds, Jr. Today the property is owned by the Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Division. The Huston House is currently vacant with no long-term plan for use or maintenance. Changing climate and the severity of recent hurricanes have exposed the house to the elements. Without a plan in place, these threats will lead to continued deterioration of the building.

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace Garden (Savannah, Chatham County)
In the mid-1950s, Clermont Lee, Georgia’s first registered female landscape architect, was commissioned to design a garden for the birthplace and girlhood home of Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts. Renowned for consulting on historic landscapes throughout the state, Lee designed a historically appropriate garden that included plantings that were popular during Low’s childhood. Today the garden and Lee’s design are under threat of being significantly altered or potentially demolished. Recently the Birthplace unveiled a new site plan that includes changes to the garden, but the garden’s fate remains unclear.

Madison Theatre (Atlanta, DeKalb County)
Opened in 1927, the Madison Theatre in East Atlanta was designed by local architects Daniell and Beutell in the popular Moorish Revival style. With over 600 seats, lavish furnishings and air conditioning, the theater ranked as one of the finest and most expensive neighborhood theaters in the South at the time. As with many neighborhood theaters, the Madison helped bridge the gap between the silent and “talkie” movie eras, serving as a community cultural resource and operating as a theater until the 1960s before later being used as a church. Since the 1980s, only smaller portions of the building have been used for commercial purposes while the larger theater space has been used for storage. There is significant potential for rehabilitation, but there are no plans to bring the theater back to its original glory.

Needwood Baptist Church and School (Brunswick, Glynn County)
Founded in 1866 by freed people raised in the Gullah Geechee tradition, Needwood Baptist Church is one of the oldest African-American churches in the state. The church building dates to the 1870s and likely sits on land that was once part of Needwood Plantation. The adjacent school, built in 1907, remained in use for the children of the congregation until the 1950s, when Georgia created Equalization Schools. The Needwood Baptist Church and School are threatened by their current state of disrepair, including failing roofs and increased water damage after recent storms, despite many families, descendants and church members working to save them.

Rhodes Center South (Atlanta, Fulton County)
Designed in 1937 by noted Georgia architects Ivey and Crook, Rhodes Center was Atlanta’s first strip shopping center and one of the largest real estate developments in Atlanta during the Great Depression. Rhodes Center was originally made up of three one-story buildings that ran along the north, south, and west sides of Rhodes Hall and were faced with white Georgia marble. Only the South building, which was home to the Rhodes Theatre, remains. The building is threatened by its current state of disrepair after sitting vacant and suffering neglect for many years. Despite a thriving market for commercial real estate in Midtown Atlanta, there are no plans for its rehabilitation.

Springfield Log Cabin School (Union Point, Taliaferro County)
The Springfield Log Cabin School was built in 1935 for the African American students in the community. African American property owners cut logs from their properties to build the school, and the finished product resembles the plan of some Rosenwald Schools. In 1965, the Springfield Log Cabin School became the only known Freedom School in Georgia. Today the Springfield School is in immediate danger of collapse due to water flow beneath the building. The resulting erosion has contributed to a damaged and destabilized foundation, causing significant sagging.

Stark Mill Community Building (Hogansville, Troup County)
Constructed in 1917 to serve as a hub for the residents of the Stark Textile Mill community, the Stark Mill Community Building provided a variety of social and recreational outlets popular at the time. The building was designed by noted textile mill architectural firm Lockwood Greene and is a unique example of the Tudor Revival style used in a textile community building. The building has been abandoned for many years and has been threatened with demolition due to its neglect.

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ATLANTA, Oct. 23, 2018 – The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation will host the tenth annual Rhodes Race at the Haunted Castle 5K, a family and dog-friendly run/walk event, this Saturday, Oct. 27 at 9 a.m.

Beginning at Rhodes Hall, Atlanta’s “Castle on Peachtree,” the race will wind through the creepy twists and ghoulish hills of one of Atlanta’s oldest and most boo-tiful neighborhoods, Ansley Park. “This course will allow participants to pass by some of Atlanta’s most historically significant houses,” said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of The Georgia Trust. “These homes represent the work of some of Atlanta’s most notable architects of the time.”

To celebrate the race’s 10th anniversary, the Trust is offering half off its regular entry fee with the coupon code HAUNTED. Registration is available at www.active.com. All proceeds benefit The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

After the race, participants will enjoy a post-race party featuring an array of goodies including complimentary barbecue sandwiches from LowCountry Catering, a race shirt, delicious refreshments, and a self-guided tour of Rhodes Hall. Awards will be given to the top three overall finishers and the top three male and female racers in each age group, as well as first stroller and first canine finisher.

The run/walk event will begin at 9 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 27, at Rhodes Hall, located at 1516 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to register, call 404-885-7812 or visit www.GeorgiaTrust.org. Please note: Dogs must be well behaved, leashed and under their owner’s control at all times.

About Rhodes Hall
One of the last remaining mansions that once lined Peachtree Street, Rhodes Hall was built in 1904 for furniture magnate Amos Giles Rhodes and his family.  Rhodes Hall is now the headquarters for The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation and is operated as a historic house museum. Every Halloween from 1984 to 1992, Rhodes Hall became the perfect setting for one of Atlanta’s most popular haunted houses. Today its haunted atmosphere has given way to sparkling interior and exterior details.

About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use. 

The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and awards students and young professionals with academic scholarships, the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). 
 

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COLUMBUS, GA. April 27, 2018–The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation presented 28 awards recognizing the best of preservation in Georgia during its 41st annual Preservation Awards ceremony.

The Miller Theater in Augusta, Ga. received the Marguerite Williams Award, presented annually to the project that has had the greatest impact on preservation in the state. The building also received an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation.

The Miller Theater was recognized for its innovative use of virtually every preservation technique and program to achieve this astounding rehabilitation. This project is an exceptional example of community organizations and individuals coming together to create a facility that will have a lasting impact on the city of Augusta. Funded by a $23 million capital campaign, the rehabilitation project has already spurred intense redevelopment in downtown Augusta.

The Mary-Leila Lofts in Greensboro, Ga. received the Chairman’s Award, presented by the chairman of The Georgia Trust to a person or project of great preservation significance. The building also received an award for Excellence in Sustainable Rehabilitation.

The Trust presented two awards for Excellence in Restoration, fourteen awards for Excellence in Rehabilitation, one award for Excellence in Sustainable Rehabilitation, one award for Excellence in Preservation, three awards for Excellence in Preservation Service and two awards for Excellence in Stewardship.

The Trust presented the Camille W. Yow Volunteer of the Year Award to Anthony Chanudet of Marietta. The Senator George Hooks Award for Public Service was awarded to Senator Johnny Isakson for his assistance in saving the Federal Historic Tax Credit. The Mary Gregory Jewett Award for Lifetime Preservation Service was given to Richard Laub, a recently retired preservation professor from Georgia State University.

The Excellence in Restoration winners were the AB&A Historic Train Depot in Fitzgerald and Cassina Garden Club Tabby Cabins on St. Simons Island.

Excellence in Rehabilitation winners were: Beeson Hall at Georgia College & State University, Milledgeville; the Benjamin Franklin Jones House, Augusta; Carter Hall at Covenant College, Lookout Mountain; Davis Hall at South Georgia State College, Douglas; the Harrington School, St. Simons Island; the Hermes-Gottlieb’s Bakery and Residence, Savannah; Historic Macon Foundation Headquarters, Macon; the Howard Warner Building, Newnan; the James and Olive Porter House, Macon; King Hall at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton; The Grey, Savannah; Watkinson & Company Grocers Building, Augusta; and Wild Leap Brew Co., LaGrange.

The Oconee Brewing Company in Greensboro was recognized with an Excellence in Preservation award.

Excellence in Preservation Service winners were: Marvin and Phyllis Hughes of Gwinnett County; Nell and William Magruder of Canton; and William B. Peard of Atlanta.

Excellence in Stewardship winners were the Junior League of Athens for its long-term care and preservation of the Taylor Grady House in Athens and the Oconee County Board of Commissioners for its longtime dedication and maintenance of the Eagle Tavern Museum in Watkinsville.

“This year’s winners represent a tremendous dedication to restoring and revitalizing Georgia’s historic buildings and communities,” said Mark C. McDonald, president of The Georgia Trust.  “We are proud to honor such deserving projects and individuals.”

For more than 40 years, the Trust has recognized preservation projects and individuals throughout Georgia who have made significant contributions to the field of historic preservation. Awards are presented on the basis of the contributions of the person or project to the community and/or state and on compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.

The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and awards students and young professionals with academic scholarships, the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House).

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