|
Former
Bank of Surrency receives award for
Excellence in Restoration
Historic
building given new life as community
center
ATLANTA—The
former Bank of Surrency received an award
for Excellence in Restoration from The
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation at
its annual meeting April 17 in Savannah.
The
bank, built in 1919, was purchased by the
town in 1999 after being vacant for over
30 years. Though it had deteriorated
greatly, the town was determined to
restore the historic structure and to give
it a new use as a multi-purpose community
center and museum.
The
town received several small grants to fund
the restoration, and worked on the project
in phases as funding through donations and
local matching funds became available. The
restoration included replacing the roof,
missing windows and doors, rotted wood
flooring, and a rotted ceiling, and
repairing brickwork, plaster walls and the
adjacent sidewalk.
The
restoration was completed in 2003 after
more than four years of work, and the
former bank is now listed in the National
Register of Historic Places.
The
Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation,
founded in 1973, is the country’s
largest statewide, nonprofit preservation
organization, with more than 8,000
members. For more than 20 years the Trust
has recognized preservation projects and
individuals in the state who have made
significant contributions to the field of
historic preservation. Awards are
presented on the basis of the
contributions of the person or project to
the community and/or state and on
compliance to the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
Awards
in the Excellence in Restoration category
recognize exemplary restoration of
historic structures.
An accurate restoration project
depicts the form, features and character
of a historic building as it appeared at a
particular period of time.
Restoration requires sensitive
upgrading of mechanical systems and other
code-required work to make the building
functional. This year the Trust presented
three Excellence in Restoration awards.
Committed
to preserving and enhancing Georgia’s
communities and their diverse historic
resources for the education and enjoyment
of all, The Georgia Trust generates
community revitalization by finding buyers
for endangered properties acquired by its
Revolving Fund, provides design assistance
to 46 Georgia Main Street cities and
encourages neighborhood revitalization;
trains Georgia’s teachers to engage
students in 51 Georgia school systems to
discover state and national history
through their local historic resources;
and advocates for funding, tax incentives
and other laws aiding preservation
efforts. The Georgia Trust is a recipient
of the Trustees Award for Organizational
Excellence from the National Trust for
Historic Preservation.
# # #
|
