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GIVE
To our Partners in Preservation,
You know the importance of sharing our community’s stories and celebrating those who made history. That is why you have continued investing in education and preservation efforts in Columbus. The projects this organization has been fortunate to be part of have only been accomplished because of you.
This past year, your love for historic preservation had a significant impact. More than $2,500,000 was invested in meaningful preservation projects and education programming thanks to your commitment and support. This has been an exciting year, from low-interest façade and rehab loans to moving endangered houses and developing an outdoor history trail.
Another town can always copy how your town does something – like how you plan and lay out an industrial park or how a permitting process works – but no one can duplicate your historic resources, which make a town special, unique, and like no other. Historic preservation is undoubtedly not the only element in an economic development strategy, but it is increasingly being recognized as a critical component of a comprehensive approach.
Historic preservation has only flourished in Columbus because of your passion for the history of this town, its stories, and its people. Thank you for your partnership with Historic Columbus and all you do for our community.
REVITALIZE
Since 1997, over 250 low-interest Façade and Rehab Loans have been made to property owners by Historic Columbus, representing over $2 million of total investment in our historic neighborhoods. These loans are available to any owner of a property over 50 years old to help install a new roof, apply a fresh coat of paint on the house’s exterior, or provide funds for a full renovation.
HCF is very grateful to the Bradley–Turner Foundation for its confidence in this loan program to create Columbus’ first Program Related Investment and to have a partner like NeighborWorks Columbus to provide all the underwriting for the loans.
There are 21 active façade and rehab loans, representing over $500,000 of investment in our historic Uptown and Midtown Columbus neighborhoods.
3506 Second Avenue
Rehabilitation Loan Program
Built in the early 1900s as a small commercial building complex, the two storefront buildings located at 3506 Second Avenue have recently been renovated to accommodate a local pottery business. Mollie Jenkins saw the potential in what these buildings could become and jumped right in. The pottery studio is primarily a production location but also has a small retail store along Second Avenue.
Historic Columbus is excited to see continued growth and investment in The Mill District and applauds Mollie’s hard work to make it happen.
Historic Columbus, through its General Fund, established a Historic Preservation Grant Program in 2005 to honor its third Executive Director, Virginia T. Peebles. The Virginia T. Peebles Preservation Grant is awarded on an annual basis to non-profits who have smaller preservation needs. The grant aims to aid in the protection of irreplaceable historic resources and to facilitate, stimulate, and incubate projects to renovate, stabilize, or plan to protect architecturally significant non-residential structures. These grants range between $3,000 and $6,000.
This past year, Historic Columbus was able to support both the Columbus Historic District and the Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia’s Columbus Area Troup with grants. The request from the Historic District Preservation Society (HDPS) is to assist in developing a strategic plan for the neighborhood. The grant to the Girl Scouts was utilized for the renovation of the Little House in Lake Bottom. Historic Columbus is grateful to HDPS and the Girl Scouts for their investment in historic preservation.
Historic Columbus is grateful to HDPS and Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia’s Columbus Area Troup for their love and vision for our community’s important historic neighborhoods.
EDUCATE
Historic Columbus has also continued its investment in education through the Patricia Jackson Howard Scholarship, named in memory of our second executive director, Patti Howard. The scholarship is awarded to graduating seniors based on merit and need. To date, over $55,000 has been endowed to graduating seniors in Patti’s memory.
The 31st Howard Scholarship was awarded to two graduating seniors – Jabari Leake and Justin Cheatham-Merritt. Jabari graduated from the Rainey McCullers School of Arts. He is now attending Middle Georgia Aviation School. Justin graduated in the top 10 of his class from Spencer High School and is attending Ohio State University.
Please join us in congratulating Jabari and Justin and wish them well on their journeys at Middle Georgia Aviation School and Ohio State University!
HCF Education Committee Chairman Florene Dawkins with award-winners Jabari Leake (left) and Justin Cheatham-Merritt (right).
Three years ago, Rick McKnight invited Historic Columbus to collaborate with FabArts to develop an interactive play for third graders that would focus on helping them learn about the history of their town. The Rivertown Play was developed thanks to Rick’s creative vision, passion for the arts, and love for our community. We join all of you in celebrating and honoring Rick’s memory and continuing his mission to bring the arts into the classroom.
Over the past year, Rivertown Play reached over 1,000 third graders in 20 elementary schools.
Our second major educational program is another wonderful collaboration with RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. We have developed four history exhibits – our most recent one, Back to School, is located on the Mezzanine Level at RiverCenter. This exhibit takes you on the journey of education in Columbus. There are spotlights on individuals who were education champions, along with the schools many of us hold so dear. These exhibits have served as a wonderful opportunity for Historic Columbus to reach a broader audience and highlight different aspects of our town’s history.
Our Back to School exhibit will be on display at the RiverCenter through March 2025.
ADVOCATE
Sharing our community’s history, legacies, and stories is at the heart of our mission, as well as advocating for the benefits that preservation can bring. Our main advocacy effort this past year was a statewide initiative led by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Historic rehabilitation tax credits are directly responsible for the revitalization of many commercial buildings and historic homes in the State of Georgia and Columbus each year. Going into this legislative session, the residential component of the program was threatened due to a “sunset” date at the end of this year. Additionally, the commercial component of the program was scheduled to end in 2027.
To avert this catastrophe, preservation partners across the state worked with Representative Debbie Buckner to introduce legislation that extends both the commercial and residential programs through 2029 and expands the residential program to allow owners of locally designated properties to qualify for the income tax credits.
This new legislation will allow for an even broader revitalization of our state’s important historic infrastructure. It will also create jobs, encourage investment in older neighborhoods, expand workforce housing opportunities, and enable more owners to rehabilitate their historic homes in a cost-effective manner. This benefits not only historic preservation in Georgia but also the economic development of our great state.
A few local projects that have benefited from these credits include the Eagle & Phenix Mill, City Mills, the marble YMCA building on 11th Street, and, hopefully soon, Highside Market.
Pictured Right: Overhead rendering of The Pope Building, now known as Highside Market at 211 13th Street. The historic rehabilitation retains much of the original layout and design of the building, and it is one of the very few examples of Streamline Moderne in Columbus. Historic Columbus is thankful to the Cotton Companies for its significant contributions in High Uptown with this adaptive re-use project.
CITY MILLS
1801 First Avenue
City Mills was the first of many hydropower users at the Falls of the Chattahoochee, and in the 1890s, it became involved in hydroelectric development at the site. In 1951, the mill was purchased by Eelbeck Co. and sold to Lloyd G. Bowers in 1966. The mills produced cornmeal and flour until the 1960s. Animal feed became the main product until the early 1980s. Then, operations ceased.
Historic Columbus and Ken Henson were given the opportunity to purchase City Mills in 2015. The first phase was to stabilize the two remaining buildings, with the ultimate goal being a new use for the historic site. Historic Columbus’ commitment was to stabilize the two remaining structures and then sell our half of the partnership ($1.2 Million investment) to a new investor to complete the adaptive reuse of the National Historic Landmark property. A new development partner was found in Jack Pezold and Pezold Management Associates and the City Mills Hotel was developed.
YMCA BUILDING
18 11th Street
This YMCA building, c. 1903, is extremely unique in its architecture and design. With construction made possible through the support of native Columbus philanthropist George Foster Peabody, the grand marble building was modeled after the founding YMCA organization’s building in London and is the only marble Y in the United States.
The W.C. Bradley Co. purchased the building to restore and rehabilitate it into office space. Replacement marble was sourced from the same quarry the original facade was constructed from over 100 years ago. The project was a state and federal-certified rehabilitation, and the building is a beautiful example of how historic buildings, economic development, and adaptive reuse go hand in hand. Historic Columbus is so thankful to the W.C. Bradley Company for its continued commitment to the preservation of our community’s most significant structures.
PRESERVE
Three and half years ago, the Historic Columbus staff and Board began envisioning a new future for Heritage Park and the Chattahoochee Promenade. It has become Historic Columbus’ largest investment and most significant project in terms of scope.
The overall concept is to revitalize the Chattahoochee Promenade and expand the history of our city by moving the historic industrial elements from the former Heritage Park site on Broadway to the Promenade along with creating the new Clifford and Bobsie Swift History Trail, returning the Heritage Park property to its original residential use, and saving five historic structures by moving them to the Heritage Park property to become single-family homes once again.
Having and executing an idea of this size and type is only possible because of the Historic Columbus membership, Sarah Turner Butler’s investment in the future of Historic Columbus, and the amazing confidence of over 160 donor families and foundations to fund this almost $5 Million project. It is also the strength of your HCF Board of Directors and the partnerships with Historic Westville, the W.C. Bradley Co., and the City of Columbus that have made this project viable.
One of the biggest challenges so far has been attempting to move the “test” kiln used to fire prototype bricks across the river at the former Bickerstaff Clay Products facilities just south of Phenix City. The kiln was moved from the brickyard to Heritage Park in the late 1990s to showcase the impact of the brickmaking industry in the early development of Columbus’ economy.
The intent was to move the kiln across Front Avenue and place it next to the formal garden along the Promenade, but ultimately, it proved too difficult. Weighing in at an estimated 400,000 lbs., the kiln and its six-foot base were too heavy to move while intact. After working with the house mover for almost two months, HCF and the original donor family decided to demolish the kiln and reuse the bricks to reconstruct the kiln across the street. Contractors Brasfield & Gorrie laser scanned the interior and exterior to produce a highly accurate set of plans for rebuilding the kiln. The original bricks were cleaned and stacked and are now being used for its reconstruction.
After remedying the kiln issue, the former Heritage Park site was ready for its third house. To date, two houses from Lumpkin, Georgia, and the house located across the street at the Promenade have been moved, and renovation work, thanks to W.C. Bradley and Brock Jones, Inc., will start soon. The two final houses included in the project–one in Lumpkin and one in Juniper–are scheduled to move before the end of the year. Work at the Promenade is also underway, with the new entrance well under construction. All work on that side of the project should be completed within the next three to four months.
