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2006 Places in Peril
St. EOM’s Pasaquan
The
Story:
In 1957, Eddie Owens Martin returned from New York
City to his hometown, Buena Vista, Ga., renamed
himself St. EOM and built Pasaquan, an
internationally acclaimed visionary art site
consisting of six major structures—the oldest a
redesigned 1885 farmhouse—painted concrete
sculptures, and miles of painted masonry concrete
walls. Approximately 15,650 square feet of painted
concrete surfaces exist on the exterior structures
alone.
Threat:
The historic buildings and painted concrete are
rapidly deteriorating due to lack of adequate
funding to maintain the property. The four-acre site
is now managed by the Pasaquan Preservation Society,
a volunteer board of trustees that needs funding and
other support to help in the preservation efforts,
including site security to protect the site, its
historic buildings and its collections from harm;
groundskeeping; visitor reception; educational
programming; and conservation needs.
Solution:
Like
Pasaquan, there are scores of historic landscapes
throughout Georgia that need additional funding to
support restoration and maintenance efforts. The
organization needs funding to develop a strategic
plan, a master plan for the site and for restoration
of historic landscapes.
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