ATLANTA, Nov. 9 — The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released today its 2007 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state.
Sites on the list include: Cherokee structures in North Georgia; the City Auditorium in Waycross; the Gilmer County Courthouse; the Wren’s Nest and Herndon Home, both house museums in Atlanta; the Eleanor Roosevelt School in Warm Springs; raised Tybee Island cottages; the Aluminum Mill Hill workers’ houses in Eatonton; the Virginia-Highland neighborhood in Atlanta; and, the Hand Trading Company Building in Pelham.
“This is the Trust’s second annual Places in Peril list,” said Greg Paxton, president and CEO of the Trust.
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.
“We are not attempting to develop a ‘most endangered list’ for Georgia,” Paxton emphasized. “There are many other locations throughout our state that could have been on our list — and they are just as endangered and in need of community help as the 10 we have identified,” he added.
“The locations chosen are not only endangered themselves, but represent a group of similar threatened historic resources. We must never forget that once a historic place is gone, it’s gone forever,” Paxton said.
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 reclaim, restore and revitalize historic properties that are in peril.
Sites on the Trust’s 2006 list, which was announced in November 2005, included: the Terrell County Courthouse in Dawson; the Auburn Avenue Commercial District in Atlanta; Andalusia, the home of Flannery O’Connor, outside of Milledgeville; Hartwell Downtown National Register District; Pasaquan, an internationally acclaimed visionary art site in Marion County near Buena Vista; U.S. Highway 17, the gateway to Historic Brunswick and the Golden Isles; the former Hawkinsville High School; Ponce de Leon Apartments in Atlanta; City Mills in Columbus; and, the Cowen Farmstead in Acworth.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is the country’s largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organization with more than 8,000 members.
Committed to preserving and enhancing Georgia’s communities and their diverse historic resources for the education and enjoyment of all, The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund; provides design assistance to 107 Georgia Main Street cities and encourages neighborhood revitalization; trains teachers in 61 Georgia school systems to engage students to discover state and national history through their local historic resources; and, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts.
The Georgia Trust is a recipient of the Trustees Award for Organizational Excellence from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
