Georgia Trust reveals 2016 Places in Peril list
Click for a complete list of sites on the list
Atlanta is sometimes known as a city that doesn’t necessarily value its architectural history.
What’s old becomes new. Glass towers replace architectural and cultural landmarks. Neglect and blight creep like kudzu into buildings and neighborhoods once teeming with life.
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Wednesday released the 2016 Places in Peril list. This is the 11th year for the list, which includes several sites in metro Atlanta.
This year, the list also include a general category of tear downs in older intown neighborhoods.
“It’s not a single building, but it’s an issue in several neighborhoods in Atlanta and Decatur as well,” said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the nonprofit. “People are moving in — a lot of developers, frankly — and building larger houses that do not fit architecturally or in terms of scale.”
The annual list is designed to raise awareness about the state’s historic and cultural resources such as buildings, districts and sites at risk of neglect, demolition, maintenance issues, inappropriate development or public policy.
McDonald hopes the list will get owners, organizations and individuals to think about what they can do to save these historic properties.
“We’re looking for constructive solutions,” he said. The main obstacle is money, particularly in rural areas.
“There’s really not a lot of economic opportunities, which makes it hard to invest in historic buildings if people don’t have the income to sustain them.”
Among the 10 places in peril are:
- Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta. The Bobby Jones Golf Course, completed in 1933, was built as a public course by the city to honor the golfing legend, according to the Georgia Trust. The course played a key role in desegregation. In 1951, Alfred "Tup" Holmes, an African-American amateur golfer, attempted to play a round of golf at the then-segregated club. After he was denied entry, he sued the city. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that public courses were to be desegregated. A recent plan for Atlanta Memorial Park recommended that the course be dramatically altered and converted into a nine-hole course and driving range. This plan would not utilize the clubhouse, completed in 1941, and both it and the course are in danger of being drastically altered or demolished.
- Riverside Cemetery in Macon, where state transportation officials want to build a new elevated interchange, which places retaining walls less than six feet from graves and calls for the removal of trees.
- Claflin School in Columbus, which was originally built in 1868 to educate African-Americans. The school campus was expanded several times, but the original building burned down in 1958. Two buildings from the first half of the century remain. According to the Georgia Trust, when the county school district moved operations to a new building, Claflin's buildings fell vacant and were exposed to vandalism and deterioration. The city of Columbus took ownership a few years ago, however, the buildings require significant and expensive rehabilitation.
- Johns Homestead in Tucker, which is believed to have been built between 1829 and 1832. The main house is a rare example of a single pen turned saddlebag house type and there is "a historically significant" dairy building. The building was constructed of rammed-earth, an ancient construction technique that became popular in the United States during the 1800s. In 2004 the remaining 22 acres of the original 202-acre homestead were sold to DeKalb County. Some demolition has already taken place and other historic structures remain in various states of disrepair.
Read what musician T. Hardy Morris did to call attention to historic sites.
About the Author
Shelia has worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more than 30 years. Previously, she worked at The Lexington Herald-Leader and The Louisville Defender. Her beat is a bit of a mixed bag that includes religion and spirituality, culture and trends, race and aging. She earned degrees from Spelman College and Northwestern University.
