The Lawrenceville Tourism and Trade Association is opening a new welcome center in the old Jule Oakes family home.

Jay Markwalter, executive director of the association, said the opening of the center is another piece in the city’s downtown revitalization efforts “to market Lawrenceville as a destination.” Plans also call for housing the city’s tourism and trade association’s offices there.

“Having the center will enhance visits to the city and provide a central place to get maps and restaurant and retail information,” he said. “We want it to be our showplace, something the community is very proud of.”

The center will be named for former Lawrenceville Mayor Jule Oakes who once owned the downtown residence.

Babye Oakes Baggett, who said her father served as mayor of the city in 1940s and 1950s, donated $50,000 to the effort.

“Our family moved into the house in 1910 when I was 11 years old,” said the 79-year-old Baggett. “I played in the courthouse square, skated on every street on the square, roamed and played in the courthouse. The whole town was a playground.”

City officials bought the old two-story Crogan Street house in August 2006 with SPLOST funding and hired Hogan Construction Group of Norcross to do the renovations.

The cost of the project, Markwalter said, is $374,000, including the $50,000 from Baggett.

Erin Murphy, project engineer with Hogan, said renovation began last month and is expected to be completed sometime in May.

In addition to installing a new foundation, Murphy said the renovations would include building a break room, replacing all of the siding with hard plank boards and adding a new roof and some windows.

“It looks a mess now but it’s going to look as it did back in the day,” she said.

Liz Punch, vice president of specialty interiors at Hogan, said the company has been working with Baggett to try to emulate the home’s historical features, from including lighting, plumbing and even the landscaping.

“It’s going to be beautiful,” she said.