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Georgia
Trust for Historic Preservation
Recognizes
Alexandria with Statewide Award
Oldest Remaining
Brick Home in State Honored for
Rehabilitation
ATLANTA,
April 22, 2006 –Alexandria, the oldest known brick
home in Georgia, received an award for Excellence
in Rehabilitation from The Georgia Trust for
Historic Preservation at its Annual Meeting April
22 in Athens.
Built from
1803 to 1806 by Revolutionary War soldier Thomas
Carr, Alexandria is one of four remaining houses
comprising the Thomas Carr National Historic
District in Thomson, Ga., the first rural national
historic district designated in the state.
William Dunn
Wansley, a great nephew of Carr, bought the house
and surrounding land in 1995. The property had
been neglected for many years and the house was in
need of serious repair. Since then, Wansley has
participated in years of rehabilitation to return
the home to its 1806 appearance.
Acting as
general contractor, Wansley removed and rebuilt
the bathroom and rehabilitated the kitchen,
revealing original windows and flooring in both
rooms. Wansley also repaired cracked horsehair
plaster, removed sheetrock walls and replaced
electrical wiring and plumbing.
Two
centuries later, the house looks much like it did
originally, complete with period furnishings. The
two-story brick home has a two-over-four room plan
with a central hall per floor. At the front of the
house, a two-story four-columned portico features
unique scalloped trim and dentillated cornice.
Alexandria was listed in the National Register in
1975.
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 to the Secretary of the
Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
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 seven 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 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.
Late last year,
the Trust announced its first annual listing of
Georgia’s 10 Places in Peril. The
Georgia Trust is a recipient of the Trustees Award
for Organizational Excellence from the National
Trust for Historic Preservation.
For more
information on William Dunn Wansley or Alexandria,
contact Betty Slaton at 706-678-1776.
To learn more about
The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards,
visit
www.georgiatrust.org.
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