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Old Brunswick
City Hall Receives Georgia Trust for
Historic
Preservation's Highest Preservation Award
Restoration Helps Historic Building become a
Major Asset to Community
ATLANTA, April
22, 2006 – The Old Brunswick City Hall received
received both the Marguerite Williams Award and an
Excellence in Restoration Award from The Georgia
Trust for Historic Preservation at its Annual
Meeting April 22 in Athens, Ga.
The Richardsonian
Romanesque building was designed by Savannah
architect Albert S. Eichberg and built in 1889 for
$30,000.
The restoration
project was completed in phases. Selective
demolition included removing partitions, suspended
ceilings and components of the building damaged by
a fire in the 1970s. The team then installed a
fire protection system as a precaution during
construction. Eliminating lead paint and asbestos
was another important safety issue.
The preservation team
also constructed a two-story addition to
accommodate a fire stair and elevator for
handicapped accessibility.
All original doors,
windows, lighting fixtures and door hardware were
restored, as well as a large wooden overhead
coiling partition. The building’s exterior
ornamental metal was either restored or
replicated. The clock tower, damaged by a storm
and removed in the 1950s, was rebuilt using
historic photographs as guidance.
“Brunswick’s City
Hall is now functional in today’s modern world,
while retaining its original grandeur,” said Greg
Paxton, president and CEO of The Georgia Trust.
“The City of Brunswick has demonstrated great
leadership in taking such tremendous effort to
rehabilitate the building.”
Following the
project’s completion in July 2004, the building is
once again the meeting place of the Brunswick City
Commission. The City Hall also serves as a special
events location for meetings and community
activities such as class reunions, weddings and
receptions.
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.
The Marguerite Williams Award is named for the
founding vice-chairman of The Georgia Trust.
Williams was a board member, volunteer, generous
donor and visionary leader. This award is
presented annually to the award winner that has
had the greatest impact on preservation.
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 five Excellence in Restoration 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 the Old Brunswick City Hall, contact John A.
Tuten at 912-265-8686.
To learn more about
The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards,
visit
www.georgiatrust.org.
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