ATLANTA —The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation on Wednesday released its 2020 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state.
Sites include: Antioch Baptist Church in Crawfordville (Taliaferro County); Asbury United Methodist Church in Savannah (Chatham County); Cary Reynolds Elementary School in Doraville (DeKalb County); Central State Hospital in Milledgeville (Baldwin County); Fountain (Stone) Hall in Atlanta (Fulton County); Heritage Park in Griffin (Spalding County); John Nelson Deming Home in Valdosta (Lowndes County); Masonic Lodge #238 in Dalton (Whitfield County); Nolan Crossroads in Bostwick (Morgan County), and Rose Hill in Porterdale (Newton County).
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.
Nolan Crossroads
Nolan Crossroads
BOSTWICK - MORGAN COUNTY
c. 1905
The Story
With structures that span nearly a century, the complex of buildings at Nolan Crossroads represent the transition from slavery-based agriculture to the sharecropping economy of the post-Civil War South. The earliest extant house dates to 1817 when the property was part of a large plantation. The Nolan family, which bought the land in the 1850s, transitioned to an extensive tenant farm, and constructed the main Neoclassical house, with its impressive, curving porch, in 1905. Still standing are a former commissary for tenant farmers, a mule barn, and several tenant farmhouses in varying states of disrepair. The rural landscape in the vicinity of the property remains remarkably undeveloped.
The Threat
While the original I-house continues to be used by the current owners, the remainder of the structures show years of neglect. The main house carries signs of considerable water damage and rot, as well as crumbling foundations, while its notoriety and rural location have resulted in multiple break-ins and the destruction or removal of many original features. Other buildings have suffered from vandalism and neglect.
Masonic Lodge #238
DALTON - WHITFIELD COUNTY
c. 1915
The Story
Masonic Lodge #238 stands at what was once a thriving commercial intersection at the heart of Dalton’s African American community. Featuring distinctive details, the lodge, built in 1915, offered commercial space on the ground floor while the second floor served as the Masonic meeting hall for African American members. The lodge formed a vital part of the fabric of a small but vibrant community that included a doctor’s office, a beauty shop, a funeral parlor, and school.
The Threat
The building has deteriorated significantly in recent years, leading to a loss of much of the interior. Stabilization of the structure is urgent to enable its potential rehabilitation. With recent growth in downtown Dalton, including a museum in the former school across the street, there is hope and support throughout the city for saving the lodge.
John Nelson Deming Home
VALDOSTA - LOWNDES COUNTY
c. 1898
The Story
In the latter half of the nineteenth century, carpenter John Deming moved from Canada to Georgia, where he would establish himself as the preeminent master builder in the rapidly growing city of Valdosta. Deming was responsible for many of the city’s most ornate and imposing houses constructed between the late 1800s until the 1920s, most notable among them The Crescent, completed in 1899 for Colonel W. S. West, who later became a U.S. senator. Deming built his own two-story, eclectically styled home on a corner of North Oak Street in 1898 using leftover materials donated by Col. West from his own soon-to-be-completed property.
The Threat
The property was re-zoned in 2006 for potential new office buildings, and the house, along with three neighboring properties, was swiftly purchased by an investment group. The houses have sat vacant since that time. Lack of maintenance has resulted in a rotting cornice, deterioration of the porch, and holes in the roof and cladding. Applications for demolition have been blocked by the local historic preservation commission, but the building continues to decline, while hope remains that someone will be able to acquire the property and restore it to its former glory.
Heritage Park
GRIFFIN - SPALDING COUNTY
The Story
Heritage Park is a community space that reflects the efforts to provide education to African Americans in the South during the twentieth century. The park includes a Rosenwald School, equalization school, gymnasium and community garden. Built in 1929, the Rosenwald School was built using funds from the collaborative efforts of Booker T. Washington and Julius Rosenwald of Sears, Roebuck and Company. The program strived to improve the quality of education and resources for African Americans in the South. The equalization school, built after state legislation enshrined the doctrine of “separate but equal,” carried on the legacy of African American education into the 1950s.
The Threat
For decades, Heritage Park has been used as a gathering place for the community to host events and bring awareness to the history of the sites. In recent years, the park and the properties have been subject to neglect, vandalism, and lack of maintenance. Allocated SPLOST funds have proven to be inadequate for a full restoration of the site, although community support for the project remains strong.
Fountain Hall
ATLANTA - FULTON COUNTY
c. 1882
The Story
A National Historic Landmark, Fountain Hall was built in 1882 and features an iconic clock tower that still stands over the city. It remains the most prominent building on the original campus of Atlanta University, which was founded in 1865 to educate newly emancipated African Americans. Originally named Stone Hall, the building was constructed on a hill between Gaines Hall and South Hall, housing faculty offices, classrooms and a chapel. In the early 1930s, the building was transferred to Morris Brown College and was renamed to honor former college president Bishop William A. Fountain.
The Threat
Boarded up and unused since 2003, Fountain Hall has fallen victim to both vandalism and the intrusion of weather. Lack of upkeep has resulted in an increasingly compromised structure. Left unattended, the building could face a similar fate to its historic neighbors, Gaines Hall and Furber Cottage, both severely damaged by fire in recent years. And yet, many alumni, preservationists and individuals are committed to preserving this historic building. With recent momentum and attention, the time for action is now.
Central State Hospital
MILLEDGEVILLE - BALDWIN COUNTY
The Story
Central State Hospital was Georgia’s first psychiatric institution, eventually becoming the largest mental hospital in the United States and the second largest in the world. Central State was chartered by the legislature in 1837 with the intent of providing Georgians suffering from mental illness or developmental disabilities with a safe and humane environment. The complex includes nearly 200 buildings, dating from 1842 to the mid-twentieth century, and features a remarkable variety of architectural styles situated on nearly 2,000 acres.
The Threat
Previously a Places in Peril site in 2010, Central State Hospital has continued to suffer from neglect since its full closure in 2013, leading to further deterioration. A redevelopment authority is working to manage the site, and the train depot is being repurposed into Georgia’s Old Capital Museum. However, the scale of the campus and the current condition of many buildings has made fundraising and investment a daunting challenge. An embrace of the historic architecture and utilization of the economic incentives available to preservation projects could provide further avenues to redevelopment.
Cary Reynolds Elementary School
DORAVILLE - DEKALB COUNTY
c. 1961
The Story
Originally named Sequoyah Elementary School, Cary Reynolds Elementary School contributes architecturally to the mid-century Northwoods Historic District. The school is an early design of mid-century architect John Portman, whose other works include Atlanta’s Hyatt Regency and Peachtree Center. Opened in 1961, the school features several of Portman’s signature stylistic motifs, including the central green space and light wells above the windows.
The Threat
The building—long slated for SPLOST funding to tackle deferred maintenance—remains in need of significant investments to improve the performance of the building and the quality of life for its students and faculty. Advocates fear that the school, without the promised interventions, will be abandoned and demolished, despite its historic significance. A recently formed community support team hopes to stave off such an outcome, seeking ways to repair and rehabilitate the building and grounds to ensure its continued use.
Asbury United Methodist Church
SAVANNAH - CHATHAM COUNTY
The Story
With a congregation celebrating 150 years, the Asbury United Methodist Church on Savannah’s Abercorn Street stands as the only African American United Methodist church in the historic Victorian District. The original building dates to 1887 with several modifications through the early twentieth century. It has served Asbury United Methodist since 1927 and played a vital community-building role, hosting numerous local groups and organizations beyond its home congregation.
The Threat
The church building faces many needed repairs to regain its place serving the full community. Deterioration due to water intrusion has left many portions of the building unusable. The sanctuary remains in regular use, but lack of accessibility inhibits some congregants’ attendance. Faced with the choice of remaining in the historic building or seeking a new place of worship, the church is determined to raise the necessary funds to stay.
Antioch Baptist Church
CRAWFORDVILLE - TALIAFERRO COUNTY
c. 1899
The Story
Boasting a congregation that dates back to 1886, when it was founded by freed slaves from southern Taliaferro and northern Hancock counties, Antioch Baptist Church is one of the most striking examples of a religious building in rural Georgia, with its imposing Gothic Revival-style towers flanking a wide doorway. Having acquired four acres for both a church and a cemetery from a nearby landowner, the church was constructed in 1899 by local craftsmen. Every August, descendants of the original congregation return to worship and reunite at this church with a long and proud history.
The Threat
Still much admired and photographed, the church no longer holds regular services, leading to increasing signs of neglect. Water damage is visible inside and out, and the restrooms have been closed off. Though some financial support continues to be provided by descendants of the original congregation, the fate of the building relies on the larger community to use and care for this unique landmark.
Rose Hill School
PORTERDALE - NEWTON COUNTY
c. 1937
The Story
Rose Hill is a historically black community in northeast Porterdale that was originally developed in the early 1900s as a segregated residential community for mill workers. The school was built in 1937 by the Bibb Manufacturing Company and also served as a church and a community gathering place. Rose Hill School was the only African American educational establishment in Porterdale while the mill was in operation. The building has remained largely unchanged since construction and reflects a unique era of development in a distinctive mill community.
The Threat
Unoccupied for many years, the historic school building increasingly bears the scars of decades of neglect and lack of maintenance. Given its state of abandonment, vandalism is a frequent threat. There is wide support throughout the city for the building’s repair and preservation, with a hope of finding a future occupant who can once again make the schoolhouse a focal point of the community.
Alice Queen
Editor
I have been editor of the Rockdale Citizen since 1996 and editor of the Newton Citizen since it began publication in 2004. I am also currently executive editor of the Clayton News Daily, Henry Daily Herald and Jackson Progress-Argus.
