If you’re in the market for a more than century-old former department store building, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has a deal for you.
The Atlanta-based nonprofit is seeking a preservation-minded buyer to purchase and rehabilitate the old AJ Gillen Department Store building in Maxeys.
“Sometimes Places in Peril are hindered by owners that are unwilling to sell or unable to take care of their historic property,” said spokeswoman Traci Clark. “Fortunately, there are times when owners of endangered properties, like the AJ Gillen Department Store, are willing to work with The Georgia Trust to find a solution, which could include selling the property to someone who can take care of it.”
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It was recently listed on the 2018 Places in Peril list. The building has been vacant for more than two decades.
The asking price is $65,000.
The building has gone through several lives as a department store, storage facility and manufacturing site for wood-burning stoves.
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The 9,600-square-foot building, which is being sold through the Georgia Trust’s Revolving Fund program, was constructed in 1907 when Maxeys was a booming cotton town.
The department store, at one point, had the only elevator in the county. The store closed in 1929 after the collapse of the cotton economy.
Some potential uses include using the space as a brewery, an art studio/gallery, and with the proposed development of the Firefly Trail, similar to the Silver Comet Trail, as a bike shop or small restaurant.
The Haistens Hospital building in Griffin (listed on the 2015 Places in Peril site) was purchased in 2017 and the owner plans to rehabilitate the property.
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