10 Georgia landmarks in need of care

Trust spotlights neglected locales, structures, some facing demolition.

A Sapelo Island community, a noble downtown office building, an Augusta church: All are among the Georgia structures and locales that face threats from time, neglect and commerce.

They are part of the 2024 Places in Peril list, published annually by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The list is created to draw attention to parts of the state’s heritage in danger of disappearing. It focuses on 10 significant sites of Georgia history, though there are many more in need of care.

This is the 19th such accounting and is by no means a comprehensive guide to all of the threatened structures in Georgia. “You could fill the list just with places in Atlanta,” said W. Wright Mitchell, president and CEO of the trust.

Instead, the list is intended to highlight representative sites to kick-start preservation efforts.

Drawing attention to these landmarks has led to some success stories. Mitchell said a favorite “win” was the Eleanor Roosevelt School in Warm Springs, the last-constructed of the Rosenwald Schools, which received a $700,000 grant from the National Park Service. Another was the Kit Jones, a century-old ship that was restored and will become the new centerpiece for a park in Darien.

There also have been losses. Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs, built in 1929 on 400 acres of farmland, was a remarkable private residence. Restored by the family, it was on the National Register of Historic Places and the Places in Peril list, but eventually was sold to a developer, who demolished it and built townhomes.

Here are the Top 10 threatened places for 2024: