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Madison’s
Vason Building Receives Statewide Award
from Georgia
Trust for Historic Preservation
Family Owns 1870s
Building for Four Generations
ATLANTA, April
22, 2006 – The Vason Building in Madison, Ga.,
received an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation
from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
at its Annual Meeting April 22 in Athens.
Located on Madison’s
town square, the c.1870 Vason Building originally
housed the Vason Brothers Drug Store. The building
was constructed following a fire that destroyed
many buildings on the square.
The two-story
seven-bay commercial structure was built by Joseph
Vason, great grandfather of the current owner,
Wayne Vason. The building features fine Italiante
details and a front façade with an arcade of
segmental arches supported by brick pilasters with
capitals.
Rehabilitation of the
Vason Building included repair of the roof,
exterior brick work and windows, restoration of
the central entrance and the installation of a new
code-compliant exit stair, plumbing, electrical
and HVAC systems. Heart pine flooring, tin
ceilings and bead board ceilings were repaired and
restored. The 1960s Colonial-Revival storefront
was removed and replaced with a design more
appropriate to the building’s original era.
“As one of the few
remaining buildings in downtown Madison from the
early 1870s, this preservation project is
deserving of recognition,” said Greg Paxton,
president and CEO of The Georgia Trust. “Wayne
Vason has done an excellent job rehabilitating the
building.”
The Vason Building
project was also a recipient of a 2005 award for
historic rehabilitation by the Madison Historic
Preservation Commission.
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 the Vason Building, contact Lyn Hunt at
706-342-3329 or
godfrey.cox@mindspring.com.
To learn more about
The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards,
visit
www.georgiatrust.org.
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