Protecting the Imperiled
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has announced the 10 sites on its 2020 “Places in Peril” list, which includes two spots in metro Atlanta. “They’re buildings and places we consider to be the most endangered and those we think we can make a difference on if we try to save them in the coming year,” explains Georgia Trust President and CEO Mark McDonald of the 15th annual list. Two of the locations—Fountain Hall at Atlanta’s Morris Brown College and Central State Hospital in Milledgeville—make repeat appearances because of new threats posed to their preservation. Other endangered places include Asbury United Methodist Church, the only African American Methodist Church in Savannah’s Victorian district, and Doraville’s Cary Reynolds Elementary School, an excellent example of famed architect John C. Portman Jr.’s early work from 1961. Each “place” is assigned a dedicated Georgia Trust staff member to help with everything from fundraising and real estate classes to grant writing and technical support. “When you have an environment that contains both historic and modern buildings, you see the whole span of history, giving a much better view of our culture,” McDonald explains of why the work is so vital.