Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Feb. 2012

In this issue:
-Message from the Director -2012 Weekend for Wildlife -Waynesborough Academy Senior Residences -Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge -HPD Partner Spotlight: DOCOMOMO/US, Georgia Chapter -Periodic Maintenance for National Register Historic Districts Series, part 2
Message from the Director
By Dr. David Crass, Division Director & State Archaeologist
February always brings Weekend for Wildlife, the black-tie dinner and auction at The Cloister on Sea Island that benefits the Nongame Section of DNR's Wildlife Resources

Division. In addition to the social functions, guests get to sign up for outings in the field with DNR staff. HPD has supported this event for nine years now, taking guests out on an archaeological project on one of the barrier islands that the agency manages. You can read about our field trip this year in Rachel Black's article about a newly discovered site on Sapelo Island.
Waynesboro has joined the ranks of cities like Thomasville, Madison, and Monticello as a great example of how HPD's economic development tools can benefit community stabilization and growth. Beth Gibson, Carole Moore, and Betsy Shirk examine the Waynesborough Academy Senior Residences, a tax incentives project that will put another outstanding historic building back into productive use.
HPD has a solid working relationship with Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), both through our Environmental Review process and transportation enhancement projects. Amanda Schraner, our Transportation Projects Coordinator, examines a case study that demonstrates the preservation benefits of this relationship in her article about Red Oak Creek covered bridge.
Leigh Burns has been busy over the last month planning our joint Statewide Historic Preservation Conference with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. However, she still found time to work with Thomas Little (Chapter President) to write about one of our non-profit partners, DOCOMOMO/US (DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites, and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement). The Georgia chapter of DOCOMOMO/US is rapidly becoming one of our most important partners, working with HPD on a wide range of projects.
Finally, Gretchen Brock presents her second article on periodic tune-ups for your National Register district. Many of Georgia's district boundaries were drawn in the early days of the program, so it's a good idea to check with our office if you think an NR district in your community may need to be revisited.

2012 Weekend for Wildlife
By Rachel Black, Review Archaeologist
Group photo of Weekend for Wildlife participants and HPD archaeologists in front of the Reynolds Mansion
Every February, the Nongame Section of DNR's Wildlife Resources Division hosts a fundraising event called Weekend for Wildlife that is based on Sea Island, one of Georgia's beautiful barrier islands. This two-day event offers a wide variety of day tours and

excursions focusing on subjects ranging from coastal ecology and biology to history and archaeology. In the evenings, participants enjoy the lavish comfort of one of Georgia's premier resorts while attending receptions, banquets, cocktail parties, and a silent auction. All proceeds help fund the Nongame Section.
This year, HPD's archaeology section offered an excursion exploring the archaeological wealth of Sapelo Island. Participants were treated to a guided tour of archaeological resources on the island by State Archaeologist and Division Director Dr. David Crass. They also were able to watch real archaeology in action and assist archaeologists in preliminary excavations at a newly discovered prehistoric site. Sites visited included: the remains of Thomas Spalding's sugar mill complex and Long Tabby, dating to the early 1800s; a prehistoric shell ring site, which was constructed about 4,200 years ago; and Chocolate Plantation, an early 1800s Sapelo Island cotton planation.
Lunch was served at the Reynolds Mansion, where the island staff provided fabulous fried chicken and sides. Afterwards, guests had some time to tour the mansion, enjoying the "Circus Room" upstairs as well as the basement game room. The grounds were also available for exploration, including the outdoor pool. After lunch, the fun continued with a trip to the top of the historic 1820 Sapelo Island Lighthouse and a visit to the beautiful and pristine Nanny Goat beach. The day ended with a ferry ride back to the mainland.
More information on Weekend for Wildlife is available on the event website.
Waynesborough Academy Senior Residences
By Beth Gibson, Carole Moore, and Betsy Shirk

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on December 7, 2011.
On December 7, 2011, the Waynesboro community came together to celebrate the longanticipated completion of the rehabilitation of the historic Waynesboro High School, a

significant city landmark that has been renovated into attractive senior residences that are full of light and character. The school building was built circa 1936 as the Waynesborough Academy, but later became the Waynesboro High School. The Colonial Revivalstyle building, which contributes to the National Register-listed Waynesboro Historic District, had stood empty and abandoned for over 15 years. Community leaders proposed a bold and innovative vision to revive and reuse the historic school as apartments for Waynesboro's senior citizens. The result of that vision is 20 new and 19 rehabilitated apartment homes designed specifically to meet the housing needs of seniors. The rehabilitated school is within walking distance of Waynesboro's downtown and close to grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical offices.
A number of former students returned for the December celebration event including current Mayor George DeLoach and State Senator Jesse Stone, who served as keynote speaker for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Senator Stone emphasized the importance of protecting historic properties and said, "This project will be a part of our history, and I hope it will be a beacon for other communities." Joe Collums, representing the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, emphasized the contributions that senior citizens can make and said, "This community is making a statement that seniors are still valuable."
The Waynesborough Academy Senior Residences rehabilitation project was developed by Bridgeland Development, LLC and G. Randall Hammond & Company. The project, which cost in excess of $4.5 million, was financed in part by using the preservation tax incentives administered by the Historic Preservation Division. The Jaeger Company consulted on the project, coordinating design decisions with the local Waynesboro Historic Preservation Commission, HPD, and the National Park Service to ensure compliance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. The project included reusing the historic

school building and constructing two new, detached, one-story buildings within the historic greenspace behind the school.
From a historic preservation perspective, some interesting aspects of the rehabilitation project include: Almost all of the original, historic fabric remained in the building and, essentially, all of it was carefully preserved, including: metal windows, wood floors, plaster walls, classroom doors and transoms, wooden "cubbies" in the hallways, chalkboards, beaded-board ceilings, and moldings. Lower-height partitions were used within the existing classrooms to create new kitchens and baths while still preserving a sense of the original volume of these historic spaces. The new one-story buildings, constructed in the rear greenspace, were designed to be compatible with the historic school building without exactly duplicating the original design. The project was able to be certified by EarthCraft for energy efficiency while still meeting the Standards. Some of the enhancements included: interior storm windows that were carefully designed and added to the original metal windows in each classroom; insulation that was added to the inside of the exterior walls while still maintaining the historic relationship between the walls and the windows; and solar panels that were added on the roofs of the new buildings instead of the historic school, thus preserving the character of the original building.
Because the developer also applied for federal housing tax credits, HPD reviewed the proposed rehabilitation project for Section 106 compliance, as well. The Georgia

Department of Community Affairs (DCA) administers this housing tax credit program, which is officially known by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as the "Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program." The federal government allocates these tax credits to each state based on population. DCA awards the credits annually based upon a competitive application process. Reuse of the school building added points to the overall project's score. Securing these housing tax credits, as well as the Historic Preservation tax incentives, helped make this project viable for the developer, which ensured a positive outcome for the preservation of this community landmark.
Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge
By Amanda Schraner, Transportation Projects Coordinator

One of the most pleasurable things about the technical assistance site visits that HPD staff make is the potential for unexpected adventures along the way. One of these adventures happened on a recent site visit that I made to Greenville, Meriwether County with a fellow HPD staff member. Our site visit in Greenville was made to report on their recent streetscape project, which was featured in the November 2011 issue of Preservation Posts. As we were preparing to leave town, we informally struck up a conversation with a local resident who asked us if we had ever seen "their covered bridge." We had not seen it, but we were eager to extend our trip to include this site. Using a combination of now somewhat old-fashioned verbal directions and a state atlas, as well as a personal iPhone's GPS, we found our way to Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge near Woodbury.
Much has been written about Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge through the years, and rightly

so, as it is Georgia's oldest remaining covered bridge. It is also Georgia's longest wooden bridge. This bridge, constructed in 1840, was built by Georgia's most celebrated covered bridge builder, Horace King. Horace King was born a slave in South Carolina and later gained his freedom. King had an amazing and prolific career in bridge building in Georgia
in the 19th century. More information on King is available in the March 2003 issue of Reflections. The covered portion of Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge is 116 feet long; the total bridge length, including the uncovered approaches, is 412 feet.
There are just 16 historic covered bridges remaining in Georgia. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation's webpage on covered bridges, it is thought that at one time there were at least 250 covered bridges across the state. Given the rarity of these bridges, it is easy to understand why my colleague and I were so eager to visit this bridge. It was also exciting to see the bridge in use - the U.S. Post Office mail truck crossed the bridge while we were there, on its way to deliver the daily mail. It was a special day for us, as preservationists, to see such a wonderful example of engineering still being functionally used today for vehicles to cross scenic Red Oak Creek.
The Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge (also known as Big Red Oak Creek Bridge) was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
HPD Partner Spotlight: DOCOMOMO/US, Georgia Chapter
By Leigh Burns, Preservation Planner & CLG Coordinator, and Thomas Little, Chapter President

The 2011 Savannah tour included an evening event at the Benedictine Military School, completed in 1964.
This month we are featuring the Georgia Chapter of DOCOMOMO/US, an important partner that works with our division on ongoing preservation efforts at the local level throughout Georgia. DOCOMOMO is an acronym for the DOcumentation and COnservation of buildings, sites and neighborhoods of the MOdern MOvement. DOCOMOMO promotes the study, interpretation, and protection of the architecture, landscape, and urban design of the Modern Movement. The Georgia chapter supports the preservation and conservation of an outstanding variety of Modern buildings, landscapes, and neighborhoods that were designed in response to Georgia's unique culture, climate, and economic needs. The Georgia chapter was established in 2003 to raise awareness of this remarkable Modern heritage and advocate for its preservation.
Georgia has produced architects of regional, national, and international influence including

architect-developer John Portman and large firms such as FABRAP and Stevens and Wilkinson. Other pioneers of Modern design in the state include landscape architect Edward Daugherty and architect Kenneth Johnson. These individuals and firms contributed to the region's strong design culture during the second half of the 20th century. In education, Georgia Tech's College of Architecture was highly influential in introducing Modern design and teaching methods to the region.
In support of its educational mission, the Georgia chapter has engaged in many activities over the past nine years, including movie screenings, lectures, and tours of modern buildings and modern neighborhoods. The chapter has conducted interviews with a number of modern designers, including Cecil Alexander, FAIA; Edward Daugherty, FASLA; Stanley Daniels, FAIA; and most recently, the architect Kenneth Johnson.
Recently, the chapter partnered with HPD on two tours: one to Thomson and Augusta in 2010, and one to Savannah in the fall of 2011. Held in a partnership between DOCOMOMO, HPD, and the Historic Savannah Foundation, the Savannah tour was part of the DOCOMOMO/US National Tour Day and was a great success. A walking tour led by Savannah preservationist Bob Ciucevich showcased historic resources from the advent of Modern architecture in downtown Savannah. An additional tour that afternoon included Modern homes in the Thomas Square, Magnolia Park, Habersham Woods, and Fairway Oaks neighborhoods. In addition to the tours, HPD and DOCOMOMO partnered in May 2011 on an online photo contest. The "Mid-Century Modern Georgia photo contest" attracted widespread interest from the public, receiving over 100 entries. They can be viewed on the contest's Flickr page.
For more information on the Georgia Chapter of DOCOMOMO/US visit their website. We look forward to next year's National Tour Day and other partnership opportunities.
Periodic Maintenance for National Register Historic Districts Series
By Gretchen Brock, National Register & Survey Program Manager

Part Two: Determining the Need to Update and Amend a National Register-Listed District
This is the second in a series of articles about amending National Register historic district nominations in Georgia. The first article appeared in the December edition of Preservation Posts, available on our website.
The first article in this series discussed why it is important to revisit National Register-listed historic districts, the concept of periodic maintenance for National Register districts, and the importance of verifying the period of significance for the district.
The most common reason to amend and update a National Register historic district nomination is to extend historic preservation tax incentive benefits to buildings that were not old enough to be considered historic at the time the nomination was prepared or that were not included within the district boundaries at the time the nomination was done. It is not necessary to wait until there are potential tax incentive projects in a city or neighborhood to amend and update a district nomination. The best time to update older nominations is right now so the economic tools and incentives for rehabilitation (tax projects and grants) are already in place for use by current and future property owners. In this article, we will look at a few examples of updated and amended nominations in Georgia.
The Candler Park Historic District in Atlanta, DeKalb County, was listed in 1983 and the period of significance was c.1870 to 1933. The National Register nomination was updated

and amended in 2005 to include 1940s multibuilding apartment complexes as contributing properties so property owners could rehabilitate the buildings using federal and state tax incentives. The historic district boundaries were increased and the period of significance was extended to 1955. As a result of this boundary increase and extension of the period of significance, 71 buildings were added to the historic district including the two apartment complexes, and 14 houses were reclassified as contributing.
Another reason to update and amend National Register historic district nominations is to increase the district boundaries to include properties that were not included in the original nomination, as well as to update the period of significance. The East End Historic District in Thomasville, Thomas County, was listed in 1984 as a residential neighborhood that developed between 1885 and the 1920s. In 2003, the nomination was updated and amended to include the continuous and contiguous residential development from the 1930s through 1953. The later residential development continued on the same gridiron plan and represented the continued development of the historic workingclass neighborhood. This amendment also removed three properties through a boundary decrease because the houses were lost to demolition.
In some cases, historic district nominations are updated and amended numerous times. The original Downtown Athens Historic District nomination was listed in 1978 and has been amended for various reasons in 1984, 1998, and most recently in 2006. During the

most recent amendment and update in 2006, the historic district had a boundary increase, a boundary decrease, and the period of significance, description, and history were all updated. The 2006 nomination was particularly challenging as all of the previous amendments and boundary changes to the original nomination had to be accounted for, and new information documented.
The Downtown Athens Historic District (Additional Documentation, Boundary Increase II, and Boundary Decrease) is used on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places website as a good example of amending and updating a historic district. You can visit the National Register's list of sample nominations here to read the full nomination.
These are only a few examples of the amended and updated National Register historic districts in Georgia. In the next article in this series, we will discuss the process for amending and updating historic districts.
For questions or more information about the National Register process, please contact: Gretchen Brock, National Register & Survey Program Manager at 404-651-6782 or gretchen.brock@dnr.state.ga.us
Lynn Speno, National Register Specialist at 404-651-5911 or lynn.speno@dnr.state.ga.us
More information about the National Register process in Georgia is available here.
The official National Register of Historic Places website is here.

Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us.
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