SPRING 2015
Let’s ramble!
The Georgia Trust picks Athens for its annual preservation-minded party, and we’re showing off. PAGE 6
Nominations are open
Our annual awards will be here soon. Nominate your favorite projects. PAGE 7
achfonline.org
ATHENS-CLARKE HERITAGE FOUNDATION Fire Hall No. 2 489 Prince Avenue Athens, Georgia 30601 706-353-1801 e-mail: achf@bellsouth.net www.achfonline.org Executive Director: Amy C. Kissane Welcome Center Director: Evelyn Reece Hands On Athens Administrator: John A. Kissane MISSION To be a proactive force in developing community-wide understanding of the value of historic buildings, neighborhoods, and heritage. VISION To become the leading advocate for the importance of historic preservation to the future of the Athens community. ACHF 2014-2015 BOARD OF TRUSTEES EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE TRUSTEES David Bryant, President Kristen Morales, President-elect Bill Kraeling, Treasurer Daniel Epting, Treasurer-elect Sara Dusenberry, Recording Secretary Marvin Nunnally, Parliamentarian Victoria Prevatt, Revolving Fund Liaison Jan Levinson, Past-president TRUSTEES Linda Davis Kevin Garrison Lauren Geddings Jim Gillis Adam Hebbard
Erika Lane Dan Lorentz Bobbie McKeller Kim Noland Kjirsten Ogburn
Cullen O’Steen Lori Scott Paul Trudeau Jim Warnes Carol Williams Hollis Yate
HERITAGE CREDITS Editor: Kristen Morales Design: Eleonora Machado Heritage Newsletter Logo: Chris Bilheimer Cover photo Photo credit: Epting Events (Smithonia Farm is among the stops on the Spring Ramble).
THANK YOU TO OUR ANNUAL HERITAGE SPONSORS Corinthian Level ($5,000) Ionic Level ($2,500) Athens Video Barber Creek Design ETL Construction Services Todd Emily Doric Level ($1,500) Carson Advisory, Inc. Dalton Carpet One Georgia Power Foundation Lindsay Transfer & Storage Pharma Tech Industries Southern Mutual Insurance Co.
president from the
By David Bryant
For Christmas, my wife, Cassie, gave me the new book The Tangible Past in Athens, Georgia. I thought, for this issue of Heritage, I would share my thoughts on this big, beautifully designed book that’s filled with photos and illustrations. When I settle into my chair with it, I feel like a child with an oversized storybook, which in the best of ways it is.
Streets, reveals how predominately residential the current downtown district once was; and Hubert McAlexander’s look at the early houses on Oconee Street reminded me that the earliest Athenians were pioneers — settlers who didn’t stray far from the river and the mill. Since reading Amy Andrews’ and Pete McCommons’ lot-by-lot recounting of the fates of the street’s houses and families, I drive a grander Prince Avenue. Wave your orange flags when crossing, because I’m distracted trying to spot where the Michael brothers’ twin mansions sat or where the patch of woods was that hid architect Fred Orr’s modern cottage. There are three much-needed essays on Athens builders and architects, a piece on how prized bits of demolished homes found new life in later construction, and more and more.
But first, let me say what it isn’t. It was not intended to be a comprehensive history of Athens or a complete survey of the town’s architectural heritage. And don’t expect a single narrative voice to pull you through its nearly 600 pages. Instead, it’s a noisy, tale-swapping luncheon among friends with a shared interest — Athens. My advice: find a comfy chair, open the book, and listen. The project, in fact, did begin at lunch, when several local historians assembled to ponder why so many of Athens’ historic houses had been moved. But the group soon discovered that among themselves they possessed a diverse body of knowledge that needed to be recorded before it was lost. With heroic editing by Charlotte Marshall, the book comprises 13 essays written by 13 authors (with many other scholars and locals supporting from the wings), plus 100 pages of delightfully oddball appendices that you don’t want to miss. Mary Bondurant Warren’s “How Athens Came to Be” concisely sets the stage, but for the most part the essays are independent and can be read in any order.
Knowing several of the contributors, I enjoyed hearing their familiar voices in my head as I read. Just as when I’m in their company, Milton Leathers, Lee Epting, and Charlotte Marshall make me laugh out loud. The authors have joined as Sheharazade to tell Athens’ 1001 Nights. Sure, the book makes its intended scholarly contribution, but beyond conveying mere facts it enlivens the historic imagination. Neighborhoods, streets, and eras come alive, populated with fascinating characters, inter-connected families and, sure enough, houses that wander. It’s a reminder that Athens has always been a place of culture, character and creativity. As proud as we may be of our generation’s contributions to Athens, this work shows that we’re just living up to the standard.
Charlotte Marshall’s essay on Athens’ “bookends,” Thomas and Pulaski H ERI T A GE
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fire hall from the
By Amy C. Kissane, Executive Director
It’s been a busy few months at the Fire Hall. Here’s the latest on some ongoing preservation advocacy efforts. Billups Grove one-room schoolhouse In January Pierre Oulevey, a teacher at Hilsman Middle School, called the Fire Hall to ask about the Billups Grove School located on Athens-Clarke County’s landfill property on Lexington Road. Billups Grove is a historic, oneroom, African-American school. Several years ago, longtime ACHF member and preservation contractor Smith Wilson and I met with representatives of the Billups Grove Baptist Church because, at the time, the county wanted to move the school off county land but did not have the money to pay for the move. While the church was willing to consider having the school on their property (located next to landfill), the cost of moving it was prohibitive, and the issue died down. It is now back on the front burner as Mr. Oulevey and the church are both interested in the school building, and there is the potential for a partnership between ACHF, the county and other interested parties to preserve the school. New District 1 Commissioner Sharyn Dickerson has taken an interest in the project and is looking into options.
Society in 1882. It is the final resting place for many African-Americans from Athens and surrounding communities. The people buried there were tradesmen of the period, farmers, preachers, teachers, and professionals in the service industry. They were servicemen including veterans of World War I, World War II, and the Korean Conflict. The Friends, with the help of hundreds of volunteers over the years, has worked to restore the landscape by removing invasive plants, fallen trees, and uncovering, marking, and tagging graves that are no longer evident. The gate is part of a more comprehensive master plan for the cemetery. For more information about Brooklyn Cemetery and how to donate, visit www. brooklyncemetery.org.
Brooklyn Cemetery The Friends of Brooklyn Cemetery, headed by ACHF trustee Linda Davis, have partnered with ACHF to raise money for a new gate for the cemetery, which is located off Alps Road behind Clarke Middle School. The gate will be designed and built by renowned local artist Harold Rittenberry. Brooklyn Cemetery was established by the Bethlehem Cemetery
Tanyard By many accounts, Tanyard, located at 392 S. Pope Street, is Athens’ oldest Greek Revival residence, built c. 1830 by Wilhelm Lehmann. Tanyard is also responsible for many a preservationist’s what-the-heck moment because it is set back from the street framed by an alley of…live oaks? No, condos, and fronted by an asphalt parking lot. You can’t help but give it a double-take when you realize it is there. Tanyard is and has been rental property for decades, and it is not protected by our local historic preservation ordinance nor by a façade easement. In January, the property’s owner called the Fire Hall asking for help and advice in determining the best future for the property. Should it be preserved where
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it is or moved to a more sympathetic site? ACHF board member Paul Trudeau and I met the owner at the site to assess its condition and talk about options. The good news is that the owner is very interested in preserving the house, and the first thing that will be done is a Historic Structures Report this summer to assess the building’s condition and document its changes over the years. ACHF has also been talking with Mark Reinberger, UGA College of Environment and Design professor, about possible collaborations that would benefit the property owner and provide opportunities for CED’s Historic Preservation graduate students.
Be a part of
Athens by being a part of ACHF.
Winterville School Located in the heart of the City of Winterville’s National Register District is the Winterville School, consisting of four principle historic buildings. Two of these, the Vocational Building (1942) and the Winterville Elementary School (1940-41), are owned by the NEGA Regional Education Service Agency (RESA). RESA is an important employer in Winterville, with roughly 50 employees, but the school buildings they occupy need repairs and one needs a new roof. If they can’t get help making the needed repairs, they may have to move to another property in their region. ACHF member and RESA employer Martie Hutchens called the Fire Hall in January and asked if I could sit down with them to talk about possible sources of funding. It’s typically hard to find money for bricks and mortar projects, but the RESA folks are dedicated to their historic buildings and would love to do some major rehabilitation work, including fully restoring the front façade of the Vocational Building. The question is, of course, finding the funding. H ERI T A GE
Since 1967, the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation has been the leading advocate for not only preserving the history in Athens, but also looking towards its future. There is value in keeping historic structures — not only as a historical resource, but also as a living, breathing landmark that gives back to the community with everyone who walks, bikes or drives by.
How can I join?
Turn to Page 23 (the inside back page) for a membership form, or visit ACHF online at www.achfonline.org. |
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RAMBLERS COME TO ATHENS IN 2015 By Jan Levinson
Each year, The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation hosts two Rambles, events that invite members from across the state and beyond to explore historic properties in the state, in one location in the fall and one again in the spring. This year I am proud to announce that The Georgia Trust has partnered with the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation and the Lexington Historic Preservation Commission to bring the 2015 Spring Ramble to Athens and Lexington April 17-19.
well as the Brown-Ladis-Eiland House and the Decker-Waters House - both designed by architect Fred Orr. The 1952 Blumberg House, a high-style ranch built in 1952, will offer ramblers a look at a relatively unchanged midcentury home. Meals and meetings will take ramblers inside other sites beloved around town, including the Seney-Stovall Chapel, the Morton Theatre, Creature Comforts Brewery, and The Hill. Sunday Sunday ramblers will head to Oglethorpe County, beginning with brunch at Smithonia Farms, then on to Lexington, site of the first Georgia Trust Ramble in 1974. The village of Lexington was settled in the mid 1790s and is considered one of the finest examples of a 19th century county seat in Georgia. Ramblers can take carriage tours through town and visit a variety of homes dating from 1795 to 1830, exploring exquisite examples of Greek Revival and Victorian Era styles. Highlights will include the Old Jail, which received The Georgia Trust’s 2014 Restoration Award and the Lexington Presbyterian Church and Manse, which were designated on the 2012 Places in Peril in list. Ramblers will also tour the home of internationally-known gardener and designer Ryan Gainey and the gardeners’ paradise, Goodness Grows Nursery owned by Rick Berry.
This event will feature exclusive tours and social events hosted in historic properties not usually open to the public. Tours of private homes, buildings, and other historic sites are self-guided, and guests provide their own transportation. Each year this event attracts hundreds of participants and ACHF is excited that Athens will have the opportunity to host so many people who are passionate about preservation. As chair of the local arrangements committee, I have spent the past few months working with a planning committee of dedicated volunteers to help make this Ramble happen. We have spent hours identifying and approaching the owners of some of our community’s historic gems, sites not to be missed, and are pleased to have finalized our itinerary for the weekend!
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Friday and Saturday Tours in Athens will include a diverse sampling of historic sites including the Grant-Hill-White-Bradshaw House (home to the President of UGA), mixed use spaces inside the Bottleworks property, a visit to see ongoing restoration work at the Carnegie Library on the UGA Health Sciences Campus, and a rare look inside White Hall Mansion, an impressive 1892 estate in the Whitehall Experimental Forest, cared for by the School of Forestry since 1936. Private residences featured date from the 1890s to the 1950s, including the Thomas-Carithers House (now home to the sisters of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority), as RA
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Information about the Spring Ramble is now available on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s website at
http://www.georgiatrust.org/ historic_sites/rambles/ramble.php. In the weeks to come, ACHF will send out a call for volunteers to help docent at tour sites and with other tasks to help us welcome visitors to our town!
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Call for Nominations: 2015 Preservation Awards!
Is there an outstanding preservation story that has caught your attention in the past year? Or perhaps you’ve been involved with the rehabilitation of an older building that has preserved its integrity and character? The Athens Clarke Heritage Foundation is now accepting nominations for its 2015 Preservation Awards program, and we want to showcase those blood-, sweat-, and tears-producing projects that help celebrate Athens’ unique heritage. Last year’s award winners included a variety of public and private projects including Creature Comforts brewery, Old Pal in Normaltown, Athens-Clarke County Water Treat Plant, Dondero’s, and several outstanding rehabilitations to owner-occupied houses. Winners will be announced at the 46th annual Preservation Awards ceremony on June 1 at the historic Morton Theater. Since 1969, ACHF has given out a total of more than 300 awards. Nomination categories include rehabilitation, new construction, stewardship, community revitalization and more. For a full list of categories and to submit a nomination form, please visit the Preservation Awards website at http://achfonline.org/awards/ or contact Amy Kissane, ACHF Executive Director, at 706-353-1820 orachf@bellsouth.net.
We hope to see you at the Morton Theater on June 1! H ERI T A GE
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Beech Haven
Work on the historic property moves forward By Amy Kissane
As you know, last June ACHF signed a contract with A-CC to lease for $1 the historic summer house and camelback bridge at Beech Haven off Atlanta Highway. (These structures, along with an incredible collection of cultural landscape features, are located on 14 acres acquired by the county in January 2012.) ACHF’s board then appointed the ad hoc Committee to Preserve Beech Haven to raise money for the repair, stabilization, and long-term preservation of the structures. The contractor, ETL Construction, estimated the project cost to be $55,000. In 2014 the Committee raised roughly $16,000, much of it from the Rowland family. This has already been used to stabilize the bridge, which was dangerously close to collapsing, as well as perform some preliminary stabilization work on the house, the site, and some pest control. The committee kicked things into high gear in February with a series of events intended to bring more attention to Beech Haven and to bring us closer to our goal of $55,000. Family member and tireless supporter Lucy Rowland conducted
three tours of the property for potential donors between Feb. 1 and Feb. 15. Also, on Feb. 16, Athens-Clarke County Library and ACHF sponsored a presentation at the library. Committee members Helen and Nat Kuykendal presented on the history and significance of Beech Haven, and Cari Goetcheus reported on survey and documentation work, including extensive oral histories, conducted by her students as part of a project funded by the Watson-Brown Foundation Jr. Board. This presentation was capped off by a testimonial from arts and crafts expert and author Paul Duscherer, visiting from San Francisco, who spoke enthusiastically about the site’s unique qualities and its national…yes, national…significance. Despite rain and the looming ice storm, 60 people turned out. Finally, 40 hardy souls attended a fundraising reception after the presentation at the home of Marty and Ron Thomas, where conversation swirled around the future potential of the Beech Haven property. The end result of this month of activity was an additional $14,550 raised for Beech Haven. Now we can pay for a new roof!
Beech Haven project
If you would like to donate to the , please contact Amy at 706-353-1801 or amykissane@bellsouth.net. Donations are 100 percent tax deductible. Donors of $1,000 or more will become Founding Members of the Friends of Beech Haven. PA G E
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FROM DRY CLEANERS TO OUTDOOR STORE By Kristen Morales
Finally, the New Way Cleaners building will see some new life brought into it. Work has started on the 1940s-era building, which will be the new home of Half-Moon Outfitters’ Athens location. This summer, the outdoor gear retailer plans to move from its current location in Five Points to the 10,000-square-foot space in the former dry cleaners building, and the work on the building will only enhance its attributes, says Half-Moon’s owner, Beezer Molten. One of the main features of the building highlighted by its new owner is the barrel-vaulted ceiling, similar to what’s now visible at Creature Comforts Brewing Co. Overall, says Molten and project architect Lori Bork, the renovation work will simply highlight its natural features. “We’re really trying to keep it simple by highlighting the building structure itself. That’s what makes it so great,” says Bork. “This being retail, I think it will really enhance what they’re trying to do, and it will show off the building nicely.” As a former dry cleaners, the residual chemicals had to be dealt with before anything could happen to the building. The owners, Molten said, wanted to cooperate, and with the help of a team of environmental engineers, realtor Jay Boswell and the state EPD, Molten put H ERI T A GE
a plan in place to purchase the building and make it safe for future use. “Otherwise, the building would have just sat there forever,” he said. “But now we’ve got it where it needs to be, and by the time we’re done renovating, it will be completely safe and clean.” The plan is to clean up the interior of the building, including removing a creepy fur-coat vault left over from the days of the dry cleaners, removing old paint and updating the ductwork to a modern system. The old system’s ventilation shafts, which extend through the roof, will be replaced with skylights that will help make the building more green and highlight the historic wood ceiling. The front parking lot will be repaved and reconfigured mainly for handicapped parking, and the sidewalks and curbs will be repaired or replaced. The back of the building, on the opposite side from Prince Avenue, will be repaved and serve as the primary parking lot. Along the Barber Street side there will be new landscaping, pathways and awnings, plus an enhanced second entrance to the building. The Coca-Cola signs will be returned to the family who owned the building. This will be the second barrel-vaulted ceiling on display for Athens, after Creature Comforts renovated and restored theirs in the brewery’s building on Hancock Street. Both buildings were constructed in the early- to mid-1940s. |
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AN OLD HOUSE FINDS A NEW HOME By Betsy Bean
Tom Allen has an interesting fact about his house: it tips the scales at 300,000 pounds Allen learned all about the weight, shape, and condition of his home when he moved it from Ga. 78 and Hardeman Road, where it stood for more than 150 years, to his rural 30-acre site in Oglethorpe County. The house, known to many as the old Hardeman house, had been sitting vacant and deteriorating for several years after investors bought the land for future new development. They were willing to give the house to anyone who would move it but, while many inquired, no one had followed through with a serious proposal. Tom Allen, a private pilot, and his wife, Beth, had long wanted to have an “old homeplace” in the country. They found the land but no house until at the property closing, when the realtor mentioned the old house and the owners’ desire to give it to anyone who would move it. “When we saw it, we wanted it right away,” he recalls. “We’re big porch fanatics. The rooms and hallway were big. It was dry and the floors were level. As the mover said, ‘it has good bones.”
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much survived with just some easily repaired cracks. The later, poorly constructed additions were torn off but the porch and its 17 columns were saved and reattached with a new roof. Most of the 22 windows are intact, and Allen himself is restoring those and replacing the lost ones with matching reproductions. All of the fireplace and chimney bricks were saved and will be used to enclose the new cinderblock piers. The beadboard ceilings, floors, woodwork, and pocket doors are all yellow heart pine.
According to a previous owner, the house was built as a two-over-two I-house in the 1850s but remodeled in 1908 by the Hardeman family into a four-over-four. Kitchen and bathroom additions had also been made to the core structure over the years. It took two months to track down the owners and get a call back, but with Allen’s persistence, the agreement was signed early last spring that simply required the site be left clean. After getting five costly quotes on moving the house 26 miles to his site, Allen chose the sixth one by James Casey and his company, People’s Choice Home Movers in Canon, Ga.
From start to finish, the whole endeavor took about nine months, including the dismantling of additions, cutting the house in half, the construction of a new foundation, the move, a new roof and new kitchens and baths, and all new plumbing and electricity.
Casey proposed two cuts to the house instead of four as the other companies suggested, and saved thousands of dollars. Nevertheless, it cost $50,000 to move the house and another $50,000 for carpentry, foundation, and other work – the crane alone cost $20,000.
The Allens moved into the now 5,000-square-foot house in late February. While a lot of finishing touches remain undone at move-in, the couple is thrilled with the “new” old house. “We love the feel,” Allen says. And the cost was half of what a builder wanted to charge to build a copy with lesser materials.
The only surprise in the whole undertaking was the discovery of five roofs, which were removed when the second floor was cut off and moved to ground level. While some of the plaster was lost in the move,
(TOP LEFT): The Hardeman house before it was moved. (TOP RIGHT): An historic photo of the house, believed to be when it was a two-over-two I-house. (BACKGROUND): Tom Allen stands near the rebuilt porch on the home’s new site.
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A City Moved
LOOKING BACK LOOKING AHEAD
Celebrating 50 years of ACHF
Editor’s note: The Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2017, and we’re beginning the celebration early by highlighting Athenians who have been key players in the start of the organization, and also looking at what Athens was like in the early years of ACHF.
In this issue of Heritage, we’re talking with Lucy Tresp, who, with her husband Lothar, was among the first to take on urban renewal and question its consequences. The 1960s were a turbulent time in Athens. And not only because the civil rights movement was making its way into the University of Georgia and local schools. It was also a time of upheaval in the fabric of the city itself. That’s because in the 1960s, the city began a campaign that was all too common among cities across the country. Called “urban renewal,” the idea was to remove blighted older structures and replace them with more “modern” ideas. In some cases this was an office building or a grocery store. In other cases, it was a parking lot. And when a parking lot was proposed for the lot where the Taylor-Grady house stood, that’s when a cross section of Athens — members of the Junior League (then known as the Junior Assembly), the Athens Historical Society, UGA professors and long-time residents banded together to stop the madness. Lucy Tresp, who along with her husband Lothar Tresp was among the first to join a fledgling group called the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, says that proposal by Winn-Dixie to turn the Taylor-Grady house into a parking lot was what pushed her into action. PA G E
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“It was a groundswell, because urban renewal was supposed to clear out everything and be the ‘next great thing,’” says Tresp. “The Taylor-Grady house was an estate, and it was to be sold for $35,000 to Winn-Dixie bought it.”
When Winn-Dixie made a move to build a parking lot on Prince, it helped glue the movement together. Members of the Junior League raised the money to restore the house after the city helped to purchase the property. “It was not in good shape,” she says. “We had a huge attic sale. The Junior League — Junior Assembly at the time — restored it.”
As founding members of the Athens Historical Society (Lothar was a history professor at UGA, and as a native Athenian whose father co-owned the Athens Hardware Company, history was near and dear to both), Tresp said they were actually out of town when the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation was officially formed. But as soon as they returned, they signed up.
Not long after, the Church-WaddellBrumby house came under fire, and Tresp recalls the city planned to move it behind the Taylor-Grady house, where Athens Community Theatre is today. But the efforts of the preservationists kept it in its place — more or less.
At the time, she recalls, the grand houses lining Milledge, Prince, Dougherty and other streets were beginning to get run down. For some, the families who had once kept them up no longer could, or there were no longer heirs to take care of them. Some were divided into apartments and others became rooming houses. They looked shabby and unkempt.
“A lot of things were being torn down. The twin houses between the Taylor-Grady and the President’s house,” she says. “It was thought they would try to move the Brumby House and put it where the little theater is behind the Grady house. But it was all about taking the phone lines down and they ended up just moving it into a backyard and turning it around.”
“They were large, expensive to operate, expensive to maintain. Servants had virtually disappeared after World War II, and people didn’t want the big houses,” she says, recalling her grandmother’s house on Hill Street. “To keep a house like that going, it took 24 tons of coal a winter to heat it.”
Still, despite the losses, Tresp is grateful that the community came together to support the protection of what’s left. “I don’t think we’d have what we have today if they hadn’t started the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation,” says Tresp, adding that the sororities and fraternities also deserve credit for preserving many of the stately homes. “It was exciting times.”
Zoning was also an issue, she says, and the city saw removing the old homes as progress — not a link to Athens’ rich past.
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Schooling on the straight and narrow:
Cobb House teaches students about architectural features By Terrell Austin, T.R.R. Cobb House education coordinator
The T.R.R. Cobb House has recently added to its educational programming, with a unit on Greek (and Greek revival) architecture that sends third-grade field trip visitors on a guided tour of Hill Street and Prince Avenue on the hunt for doric, ionic and corinthian columns. Stops along the way include two of Howell Cobb’s former houses, the UGA President’s house, and the Joseph Henry Lumpkin House. Students are given maps and enlarged postcard photos of buildings no longer standing on Prince Avenue, so they learn a little about historic preservation too. The Cobb House provides schools in Athens and the surrounding counties with bus grants for field trips. As education coordinator, I develop programs for each grade level according to Common Core standards — usually Social Studies standards, but not always. First-graders use their new knowledge of shapes on a scavenger hunt through the house and gardens looking out for spheres, octagons, and rectangular prisms as part of the Shapes of the Past program. Fourth-graders learn of William Bartram’s travels in Georgia and do nature journaling in the gardens. Fifth-graders studying the Civil War read excerpts from diaries kept by children on both sides of the conflict and learn about unconventional spies — women and former slaves engaged in espionage. Last year, 3,000 children visited the house. PA G E
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Winter gala recap
Members and friends of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation gathered in one of Athens’ hidden gems of a neighborhood in early December for the annual holiday gala. The Bloomfield neighborhood graciously hosted, as hundreds of guests explored its beautiful homes and secret pathways. We would like to thank our hosts, sponsors and guests for a wonderful, fun and successful evening!
Bells on Bloomfield homeowners Todd Emily 100 Cloverhurst Terrace
Kim Klonowski and Dean Firschein 125 Wilcox Street
Molly and Mike Moran 193 Mell Street
Gene and Dev Weeks 183 Mell Street
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Bells on Bloomfield event sponsors Barron’s Rental Center Burman Printing Elegantly Southern Catering Epting Events Heirloom Café
Independent Baking Co. Lauren Cook New Urban Forestry Northeast Sales Distributing The Fresh Market
Host Committee Thank You Party sponsors Bulldawg Illustrated and guide2athens
Bells on Bloomfield Event Committee Erika Lane and Kim Noland, Holiday Gala Co-chairs Dick Field & Kim Klonowski, Neighborhood Liaisons Lauren Geddings, Catering and Food Coordinator Jim Gillis, Volunteer Coordinator Jan Levinson, Auction
Coordinator Carrie Sewell, Host Committee Party Mercer Brockenbrough Teresa McLean Cullen O’Steen Marti Schimmel Lori Scott
Desserts donated by Big City Bread Café Blackbird Bakery Cecilia Villaveces Cakes George’s Low Country Grill home.made Catering Independent Baking Co. Lumpkin Café Mama’s Boy
Marti’s at Midday Pulaski Heights Barbeque The Grit Spring water compliments of the Waterman. Coffee compliments of Jittery Joe’s.
Many thanks to the
Junior Ladies Garden Club for their help with greenery and decorating.
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Winter gala recap
Bells on Bloomfield Host Committee Alison and David Abernathy Diane and Buck Adams Louise Adams Athens Building Company Leslie and Charlie Barron Lauren Geddings and Christopher Belk Joan and Gary Bertsch Carol and Jeff Bishop Brenda Blanton Kelley and Mike Blanton The Bottleworks/Parkside Partners Cassie and David Bryant Susie and Travis Burch Lauren and Jay Cook Greta and Stephen Covington Lindsey and Mac Daniel Linda Davis
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Cory and Dan DeLamater Sarah and Jud Doherty Katherine and Bertis Downs Todd Emily Katrina and Chris Evans Kim Klonowski and Dean Firschein Susie and Charlie Garrett Kevin Garrison Lucy and Jim Gillis Rosemarie and John Goodrum Carolyn and David Hally Jan and Adam Hebbard Donna and Bill Hopper Sylvia Hutchinson Lori Lucas and Mark Jordan Carrie and Tim Kelly Nancy and James Kissane Charlotte and John Knight
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Erika and Ricky Lane Cheri and Vance Leavy Lori Ringhand and Dan Lorentz Becky and David Matheny Teresa and John McLean Joni and Bill Megdal Molly and Mike Moran Carolyn and Chris Morgan Libby and Van Morris Moulton & Hardin, Inc. Donna and Tom Murphy Phyllis and Don Nelson Pam and Dink NeSmith Kim and Tee Noland Lane and Jim Norton Kjirsten and Charles Ogburn Frances and James Okey Barb and Carl Parks Janet and Alex Patterson
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Sarah and Chris Peterson Kris and Daniel Pittard Victoria Prevatt Julie and Ira Roth Lori and Tom Scott Missy and Karl Sennowitz Carrie and Eric Sewell Lacy and Frank Sinkwich Margie Spalding Merry and Allen Stovall Fran and Emory Thomas Tobie Bass and Paul Trudeau Kendell and Tony Turner Reggie Vipperman Carol and Jim Warnes Allie McCarthy and Lee Webb Gene and Dev Weeks Carol Williams
Winter gala recap
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Athens Heritage Walks
Athens Heritage Walks By Mary Stakes
Once again this past fall, streets in Athens were lined with walkers, periodically stopping, clustered in groups, listening and looking, looking, and looking. Yes, it was the Athens Heritage Walks series in progress. Two new walks were on the agenda for 2014 while another three walks were the focus of a UGA College of Environment and Design Circle Gallery exhibit. A sixth walk extended through a very old neighborhood to take in much of its historic district. For the more than 100 participants in the heritage walks, it was a rich offering. The Seeing Green walk examined neighborhood green spaces and their relevance. The walk visited a range of parks: long-established areas with planned programming, contemplative spaces designed to soothe, a nascent park about to become a reality, and a space developed as a peace offer partnership. The University Drive walk detailed the history of the early 20th century street with its eclectic mix of architecture and many ties to the University of Georgia. A UGA exhibit that documented their formation and put them in historical context enhanced tours of three historic Athens cemeteries—Old Athens, Gospel Pilgrim, and Oconee Hill. A visit to Dearing Street took walkers on an extended tour of this early Athens neighborhood where change has been the norm. The district was home to not only many prominent Athens families, but also the first botanical garden in the South.
Seeing Green tour participants walk the labyrinth behind the Loran Smith Center for Cancer Support as part of the tour of Athens Regional Community Park.
The ACHF Heritage Walks, begun in 2009, are guided walking tours of historic places that celebrate the unique architecture, culture, and history of each site. They are led by guides whose sense of place and love of history opens up the area and brings the neighborhood to life. If your neighborhood deserves the treatment of an Athens Heritage Walk, contact Amy Kissane. PA G E
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Athens Welcome Center Update
SOMETHING RARE AT THE CHURCH-WADDEL-BRUMBY HOUSE By Evelyn Reece, Director/Curator In late January, when visitors from the Seventh Biennial Green Symposium arrived, the ChurchWaddel-Brumby House “dressed up” for the occasion. But no, not in diamonds — rather, The Georgia Museum of Art’s event Connections: Georgia in the World was the perfect opportunity to showcase a local family’s breathtaking collection of museum-quality Federal Period cut and engraved glass. Befitting to the Symposium’s “world” theme, handmade pieces from Ireland, England, Scotland, and the United States were generously displayed throughout the house, including delicate prismatic candelabra, decanters, girandole candlesticks (complete with cut glass shades), glistening two-part punch bowls and a three-part centerpiece, compotes, fruit bowls, urns – and the list goes on! We examined “toddy H ER I T A GE
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lifters” (used to elegantly serve “measured” libations), wineglass coolers (for rinsing between courses of wine), etched glass loving cups, an exquisite silver and crystal epergne, turnover “helmet” bowls, and a pineapple stand. We learned about the evolution of glass-making and the historical influences that affected design, and the subtle details that point to a piece’s origins. Most surprising to us was the discovery that many of the same motifs used in glass were also present within our museum’s architecture, wall coverings, and décor! The CWB House Museum Committee extends heartfelt thanks for the very generous loan from the Knecht Family, who entrusted their amazing collection to us for this special occasion. We hope you will stay tuned for more exhibits to come at the Church-Waddel-Brumby House Museum. SPRI N G
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Athens Welcome Center Update
ROSA THURMOND DELIVERS COMPELLING TOUR
A FRESH TAKE ON HOLIDAY SPIRITS
On Valentine’s Day, Classic City Tours hosted its African-American History Tour with the wonderful Rosa Thurmond.
On three Saturdays in December, the Athens Historic House Museum Association hosted its award-winning Holiday Spirits Tours.
To a sold out audience, Thurmond traced uplifting coming-of-age moments through the Athens Civil Rights Movement. The group visited First AME Church, designed by Louis Persley, the first licensed African-American architect in Georgia. Always a delightful stop, attendees experienced Harold Rittenberry’s art up-close with a stroll through his renowned sculpture yard.
Each house museum carefully created a perfect period setting, representing the Federal, Greek Revival, and Victorian periods. On each tour, a unique performance was featured at a different house. In a short play by Janet Parker, UGA student Robert Toombs descended upon the Church-Waddel-Brumby House – on the brink of being expelled from Franklin College for the second time! In this comedic performance, period actor Tygh Walters regaled hilarious — and true — stories about 1820s college mischief. (Has Athens really changed?) At the T.R.R. Cobb House, a lively period string performance had attendees twirling in merriment. At the Lyndon House, an Athens Creative Theatre performance offered a compelling account of Victorian Christmas, culminating with ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, which captured themes threaded throughout each period presented on the tour.
If your group is interested in an experiential tour that will always be remembered, contact the Athens Welcome Center to make arrangements at 706-353-1820.
ATHENS WELCOME CENTER VOLUNTEER RECEPTION Please join us at 5:30 p.m. March 24 at the Welcome Center to show appreciation for our team of volunteer information specialists. Greeting visitors from around the nation and world, they are our city’s ambassadors and experts in everything Athens. We hope to see you there! For more information or to become a volunteer, call us at 706-353-1820. The Athens Welcome Center / 280 E. Dougherty St. / 706-353-1820 / athenswc@negia.net / www.athenswelcomecenter.com PA G E
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JOHN WATERS RECEIVES FITCH AWARD The National Council for Preservation Education recently presented its 2014 James Marston Fitch Award to Professor John C. Waters, University of Georgia. The award recognizes individuals who have contributed substantially to the advancement of historic preservation education in the United States and for outstanding achievements. Professor Waters created the Master of Historic Preservation program at the University of Georgia (1982), as well as its certificate program (1987) and a joint JD/ MHP (1987). In 2003, he received The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Mary Gregory Jewett Award, its highest award and in 2007 the Governor’s Award in the Humanities. Waters pioneered preservation legislation in the State of Georgia, wrote preservation plans for numerous cities, was instrumental in establishing several historical foundations, and chaired the Georgia National Register Review Board, to name only a partial list of his accomplishments. He also founded Sigma Pi Kappa, the only international historic preservation honor society, at UGA in 1991, which has a number of affiliate chapters all across the country. The UGA College of Environment and Design established the John C Waters Preservation Scholarship Fund to honor Waters’ contributions. Waters is a founding member, president and trustee of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation. H ER I T A GE
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The award was presented at the annual James Marston Fitch dinner, which took place in November during the National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in Savannah. 20 1 5
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Lyndon House opens new bedroom By Didi Dunphy, program supervisor, Lyndon House Arts Center November 2014 saw a wonderful and much-anticipated event at the WareLyndon Historic House Museum, the grand opening of the new bedroom exhibit. The well-attended reception brought many lovers of historic preservation and admirers of the decorative arts.
mansion in Milledgeville and back again. The bed is an excellent example of the Federal style, made of cherry complete with fluted posts and carved tobacco leaves. Another feature of the bedroom is the large pocket doors made of repurposed heart pine from a mid-19th century Athens warehouse. The Athens-Clarke County Central Services Department, in partnership with Leisure Services, built and installed these massive doors.
With painted walls in a period apricot color, the bedroom features many splendid decorative pieces. The Antebellum wardrobe was originally found in Athens in the Dearing Street historic district and the petite sewing machine heralds from the family of Chancellor Barrow. The biggest surprise was the original assembly instructions for the infant cradle, found tucked away inside it.
The new bedroom exhibit is made possible with the help of many partners, including the Arts & Nature Division of Leisure Services, Leisure Services, The Ware-Lyndon House Committee, the Lyndon House Arts Foundation, the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, and the Athens Historic House Museum Association.
The most well-traveled piece is the majestic bed, originally owned by Gov. Howell Cobb. This four-poster bed traveled from Athens to the governor’s
Garden plans take root
The parterre garden will include graceful walkways, period-style ornaments, seating, fencing, a cistern and lighting. Planting for the new garden will take place in early fall. The landscape architect for this SPLOSTfunded project is Root Design Studio, Inc. in partnership with Athens Design Studio and Mack R. Cain, LEED AP.
Construction for the WareLyndon House Historic Garden, located on the grounds to the west of the historic house, began in late February and will continue through the spring. PA G E
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Membership Rates
All members receive the Basic Membership Package including: free admission to Athenaeum Club and other membership events; discounts on tours, events, and rentals of Fire Hall No. 2; the Heritage newsletter; and much more.
I would like to become a member at the following level: $30 Student $50 Individual $75 Family $100 Sustainer I would like to increase my support by joining at a Heritage Holiday Gala Host Committee Level:
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