2010 Places in Peril Coverage - Dorchester Academy

Liberty County landmark placed on endangered list

Georgia Trust names Dorchester Academy in top 10 Places in Peril

Posted: November 5, 2009 - 7:07am - By Wayne Hodgin - Savannah Morning News

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has placed Dorchester Academy in Liberty County on its list of most endangered places in the state.

The site in Midway, which has in the past served as a school for newly freed slaves and a haven for Civil Rights-era leaders, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is in various states of deterioration.

The school, founded in 1871, earlier this year was listed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Mark McDonald, president and CEO of the Georgia Trust, said the a list exists to provide awareness for historical sites.

"When the Georgia Trust puts a site on its list, it's not a 'Hall of Shame' moniker," he said. "It serves as a tool of awareness and encourages communities to step up and preserve the site by finding financial resources and other partnerships to save it from peril."

The school joins nine other sites across the state on the 2010 Places in Peril list, which also includes Central State Hospital in Milledgeville, Paradise Gardens in Summerville, Old Dodge County Jail in Eastman and the Ritz Theatre in Thomaston.

This is the fifth year the Georgia Trust has issued its Places in Peril list.

In previous years, the list has included local sites, including the Cockspur Island Lighthouse, Battery Backus on Tybee Island and the John Berrien House in Savannah.

There were 24 nominations this year, McDonald said.

"Before we place a site on our list, we require a local sponsoring group that is not only willing to put up the nomination but also is willing to put forth the effort to help us ensure the building and/or site is preserved for history's sake," he said.

More than a dozen buildings stood on the Dorchester Academy site at one time, but now the only building that remains is the boys dormitory, a brick Greek Revival structure built in 1934.

The Liberty County group that nominated the site is the Dorchester Improvement Association, whose members have provided care for the building over the decades. But its aging membership, coupled with limited resources, have made it impossible to make necessary impairs.

The financial burden of renovating the building, of which the roof is the major source of damage, will cost upwards of $100,000 just to stabilize the structure. The 2009 designees were awarded almost $50,000 in matching grant money.

"There are significant financial hurdles we and the Dorchester group will have to clear to fully restore the building," McDonald said. "But with a blend of grants and private donations, which will be spurned by its inclusion on these lists of most endangered places in Georgia and the nation, we can hopefully raise the funds to save the building and preserve its historical status."

2010 LIST OF GEORGIA'S 10 MOST ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES
Since 2006, the Georgia Trust has identified 50 threatened sites across the state with its annual Places in Peril list. The designation raises awareness and rallies resources to save the sites. This year's top 10 list includes:
-- Central State Hospital in Milledgeville
-- Paradise Gardens in Summerville
-- Morris Brown College in Atlanta
-- Canton Grammar School in Cherokee County
-- Leake archaeological site in Cartersville
-- Dorchester Academy in Midway
-- Old Dodge County Jail in Eastman
-- Ritz Theatre in Thomaston
-- Herndon Plaza in Atlanta
-- Capricorn Recording Studio in Macon
For more information on these sites, go to georgiatrust.org.

2010 Places in Peril Coverage - Paradise Gardens

Finster’s Paradise Gardens named to “Places in Peril” list

Chattanooga Times Free Press - Andy Johns - November 4, 2009

Howard Finster’s Paradise Gardens in Chattooga County, Ga., has been named to a preservation group’s “Places in Peril” list.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation included the late folk artist’s 4-acre property on its fifth annual list, released today.

In a statement, the group says the list aims to raise awareness about Georgia’s significant historic, archaeological and cultural resources that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.

Finster’s gardens, packed with folk art items like a 20-foot statue made of bicycle frames and his famous paintings of Coca-Cola bottles, has been featured on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” and in music videos and cover art for REM and other groups.

Other sites on the list include: Central State Hospital in Milledgeville; Morris Brown College in Atlanta; Canton Grammar School in Cherokee County; Leake archaeological site in Cartersville; Dorchester Academy in Midway; Old Dodge County Jail in Eastman; Ritz Theatre in Thomaston; Herndon Plaza in Atlanta; and, Capricorn Recording Studio in Macon.

2010 Places in Peril Update - Capricorn Studios

Final chapter of the Capricorn building has not been written

Macon Telegraph

It’s tragic when a dream dies, particularly one so steeped in Macon history. The former Capricorn studio buiding was set to be auctioned off Tuesday on the courthouse steps to satisfy a bank loan. Alan Justice had dreamed of renovating the building and forming a not-for-profit company that would have included a working recording studio, cafe and museum.

Capricorn studios sits on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and is the site where some of the greatest music of the 1960s and ’70s was recorded. The Allman Brothers of course, but Jimi Hendrix, Joni Mitchell, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Atlanta Rhythm Section and many other artists recorded there.

This chapter in the building and studio’s history was not the first time a dream went unfulfilled. Gregory Jones owned the building for a while and had renovated the studio — quite an expensive proposition. He went into the venture out of his love for music, but a recording studio is a tough business, even when the walls witnessed great music being made.

It would be wonderful if the next owner has the same level of love for the building’s musical heritage as the last owners. It is being recognized today for its historical significance by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The building made the Trust’s “Places in Peril” list and could be eligible for enhanced services from the trust. Timing, though could make that difficult.

The studio building is in an area that doesn’t look like much now, but a redevelopment group has proposed a $29 million effort and the Capricorn studio building was to be the centerpiece. That can still happen, and we hope that it does. Duane Allman’s guitar riffs still echo from its walls.

— Charles E. Richardson, for the Editorial Board