Historic Railroad Buildings of Atlanta, Fulton County The development of the railroad was a leading force in Atlanta“s growth and prosperity in the 19th- and early- 20th-century. With the demolition of Atlanta“s Union and Terminal Stations in the early 1970s, Georgia“s capital lost much of its railroad legacy. Many railroad structures in Atlanta are vacant and have no current plans for reuse. Among the remnants of Atlanta’s railroad legacy are Peachtree Station on Peachtree Street and the Norfolk Southern complex on Spring Street. Peachtree Station, now known as Brookwood Station, was designed by Neel Reid and built in 1917. It is leased to AMTRAK. The Northfolk Southern complex includes two 1912 buildings as well as the largest vacant swath of undeveloped land in Atlanta, known as “the gulch.” Neglect and abandonment threatens many of these resources. AMTRAK is planning to move out of Peachtree Station.
Hall County When Lake Lanier was completed in 1958, most of the buildings in Chattahoochee Park were covered by water. Rotting timbers threaten the sole pavilion structure, which features an intricate roof trussing system.
Dalton Built in the late 19th century, this masonry building was the company store for Crown Cotton Mills in Dalton. Crown Mill was the leading producer of the muslin cloth that was vital to the area’s chenille cloth industry.
Liberty Street, Milledgeville This street contains some of the best-preserved and unique examples of ante- and post-bellum architecture in the city. Homes are being converted into student housing, losing their historic fabric.
Hancock County This 1813 Greek Revival style building is all that remains of the once-thriving community of Mt. Zion. Mount Zion Church needs exterior and interior repairs. Its remote location (seven miles from Sparta) makes it particularly susceptible to vandalism.
St. Marys Built sometime between 1829 and 1839, this Greek Revival house is located near the ferry landing that takes visitors to Cumberland Island. The city, which has owned the building since 1965, is lacking funds to continue its restoration and maintenance, and is postponing repairs.
Randolph County Built in the 1880s, this masonry courthouse located on the town square of Cuthbert was built in the Dutch Romanesque style, which is unusual for Georgia. Large amounts of timber framing in the building need repair due to extensive termite damage.
Athens Built in 1939, UGA“s Rutherford Hall was constructed during the New Deal program. Plans include demolishing the Neoclassical style building in order to build a new 260-bed residence hall on the site.
Muscogee County This Beaux Arts style masonry school building in Columbus was constructed in 1906. It was the first school in the nation to combine vocational and academic courses in a public school system.
Savannah The W.W. Law house was the home of a leader in the civil rights movement and is currently in need of rehabilition. The house contains an enormous collection of periodicals, books and other important documentary materials.
“This is the Trust’s seventh-annual Places in Peril list,” says Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Trust. “We hope the list will continue to bring preservation action to Georgia’s imperiled historic resources by highlighting 10 representative sites.” Places in Peril is designed to raise awareness about Georgia’s significant historic, archaeological and cultural resources, including buildings, structures, districts, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
Through Places in Peril, the Trust will encourage owners and individuals, organizations and communities to employ proven preservation tools, financial resources and partnerships in order to reclaim, restore and revitalize historic properties that are in jeopardy. For more information on these properties, visit georgiatrust.org.
