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Georgia
Trust for Historic Preservation Recognizes
Trinity
House-Big Bethel with Statewide
Award
Rehabilitated Building
a Site for Homeless Outreach Programs
ATLANTA, April
22, 2006 – Trinity House-Big Bethel in downtown
Atlanta received an award for Excellence in
Rehabilitation from The Georgia Trust for Historic
Preservation at its Annual Meeting April 22 in
Athens, Ga.
Located in Atlanta’s
Sweet Auburn Historic District, the 1915 building
was originally used as a lodge and was once a
family-owned funeral business. Hanley’s Funeral
Home was one of the largest black-owned funeral
parlors in the South and handled the burial
services for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968.
Today, the
three-story red brick building is owned by Trinity
Community Ministries, a not-for-profit
organization that provides transitional housing,
training and counseling to homeless men in
Atlanta.
Trinity Community
Ministries, in partnership with Big Bethel AME
Church, adapted the National Register-listed
building to expand and enhance its charitable
programs. Smith Dalia Architects with Carter &
Associates and Gay Construction rehabilitated the
existing historic structures and constructed a new
rear wing and two small additions.
The building now
accommodates living space for 36 men, an
administrative office, computer lab, weight room,
kitchen and a dining room that seats 60. The
existing chapel with its original stained glass
windows was converted into a large
conference/meeting space.
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 Trinity House-Big Bethel, contact Wanda Ross at
404-222-0553 or
tcmwanda@bellsouth.net.
To learn more about
The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards,
visit
www.georgiatrust.org.
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