Brunswick, Ga., April 8—The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is looking for a preservation-minded buyer to purchase and rehabilitate the Barber House in Brunswick, Ga., located at 1315 Union Street. This historic building is being sold through the Georgia Trust’s Revolving Fund program, which provides effective alternatives to demolition or neglect of architecturally and historically significant properties.

Built circa 1900, the Barber House is a design of George Franklin Barber, a prolific architect who published numerous house designs via mail order catalogs and magazines. The house is based on Design No. 7 of Barber’s Modern Dwellings and Their Proper Construction (Second Edition). The exterior of the building retains Barber’s characteristic emphasis on prominent brick chimneys, dormers and ornamentation. There is a large addition on the rear of the building.

Unfortunately, the house has suffered from years of deferred maintenance and neglect. The roof is in fair condition while the exterior siding is in various states of disrepair. The interior of the building has been significantly altered, with the original floor plans changed on both first and second floors. Many of the windows have been broken or removed; however, some interior decorative features remain including some of the window trim and mantels.

The zoning is flexible to allow for several potential uses of the property including mixed use, office or restaurant space, or potentially a bed and breakfast. As a contributing property to the National Register historic district, this property may be eligible for Federal and State historic tax incentives for certified rehabilitations.

The Barber House is available for $60,000. It is approximately 4,200 square feet and sits on a full city lot (.38 acres) with street access from front and back. The parcel includes an existing paved parking lot. The buyer is required to sign a Rehabilitation Agreement and all work done to the property must abide by the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

For more information about the Barber House, visit GeorgiaTrust.org or contact Dennis Lovello at dlovello@georgiatrust.org or 404-885-7819.

About the Georgia Trust’s Revolving Fund Program
The Georgia Trust’s Revolving Fund Program was established in 1990 to provide effective alternatives to demolition or neglect of architecturally and historically significant properties by promoting their rehabilitation and enabling owners of endangered historic properties to connect with buyers who will rehabilitate their properties.

The Georgia Trust accomplishes this goal by either accepting property donations or by purchasing options on endangered historic properties. The properties are then marketed nationally to locate buyers who agree to preserve and maintain the structures. Protective covenants are attached to the deeds to ensure that the historic integrity of each property is retained, and purchasers are required to sign rehabilitation agreements based on the work to be performed on the structure.

About the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation
Founded in 1973, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation works for the preservation and revitalization of Georgia’s diverse historic resources and advocates their appreciation, protection and use.

As one of the country’s leading statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations, the Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund and raises awareness of other endangered historic resources through an annual listing of Georgia’s “Places in Peril.” The Trust recognizes preservation projects and individuals with its annual Preservation Awards and awards students and young professionals with the Neel Reid Prize and Liz Lyon Fellowship. The Trust offers a variety of educational programs for adults and children, provides technical assistance to property owners and historic communities, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts, and manages two house museums in Atlanta (Rhodes Hall) and Macon (Hay House). To learn more, visit www.georgiatrust.org.