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Native
American Chief Watches Over Preservation Award
Winner
Historic
Wigwam Building Receives Statewide Award in
Thomasville April 2
ATLANTA,
April xx, 2005—The Wigwam Building received
an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation from
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation at
its annual meeting April 2 in Thomasville, Ga.
Located
in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Landmark
District, the Wigwam Building is a rare
example of the International style of
architecture in Atlanta. Its name comes from
the 3-foot tall, steel cutout of a Native
American chief standing on the corner of the
roof.
Cornelius
King constructed the stucco apartment building
in 1940 to provide housing for family members.
The building’s eight units are designed to
create a sense of community. With their close
entrances and central courtyard, over the
years, family members retained ownership of
the building, but it did not receive the
proper upkeep.
Judith
Knight and Scott Peterson of Wigwam
Associates, LLC bought the severely
dilapidated building in April 2003 from the
King family. Knight, architect David Cavender
and builder Peter Gordon worked to restore the
structure’s façade to its original
condition and turn the apartments into
condominiums. They wanted to save as much of
the building’s original flair as possible
while updating it for the 21st
century.
Rehabilitation
efforts included repairing and repainting the
stucco, saving the art deco style railings,
and re-roofing the building. All of the
windows and doors were repaired and
repainted.
On
the interior, all the systems needed
replacing, and HVAC was added to all units.
Each condominium was rewired and provided with
new plumbing. To keep with the ‘40s style,
cabinets and lighting were carefully chosen.
The footprints of all the units were
maintained, and the kitchens were completely
renovated.
Rehabilitation
efforts were completed in April 2004, and most
of the units have been sold.
“The Wigwam Building is an unique contributor to Atlanta’s
historical character because of its rare
architectural style,” said Greg Paxton,
president and CEO of The Georgia Trust.
“Wigwam Associates have done an excellent
job rehabilitating the structure.”
For
more than 25 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 with
the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards
for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Excellence
in Rehabilitation awards recognize projects
that make compatible use of a building through
repair, alterations or additions while
preserving features of the property that
convey its historic value. This year the Trust
presented 15 Excellence in Rehabilitation
awards.
With
more than 8,000 members, The Georgia Trust for
Historic Preservation is the country’s
largest statewide, nonprofit preservation
organization. Founded in 1973, the Trust is
committed to preserving and enhancing
Georgia’s communities and their diverse
historic resources for the education and
enjoyment of all.
The
Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for
endangered properties acquired by its
Revolving Fund; provides design assistance to
105 Georgia Main Street cities and encourages
neighborhood revitalization; trains
Georgia’s teachers in 56 Georgia school
systems to engage students in discovering
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.
For
more information on the award winner, contact
Judith Knight at 770-714-8618 or j.knight@comcast.net.
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