Helping Historic Buildings with Fire Damage Restoration

3/7/2021 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is here for Augusta buildings

Augusta is a fascinating and vibrant city with a wealth of history and historical sites to enjoy. Despite being relatively small, with a population of 197,888 people, Augusta has a beautiful historic downtown district and many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.

Noble Jones, an English carpenter, chose the site for a new settlement in 1736. He built the settlement to act as a defense against the French and Spanish. At first, travelers could only reach Augusta by boat, but in 1739 townsfolk started constructing a road between Savannah and Augusta, which opened the area to travelers and began a period of growth for Augusta.

Augusta's fortunes have risen and fallen over the years. When Savannah fell to the British during the American Revolution, Augusta became Georgia's state capital. In the late 1940s, Augusta enjoyed an economic boom, with new businesses setting up there and a rapidly growing population. The city fell into decline in later years but was revitalized once again in the 1990s, thanks to a local group of artists who started a weekly arts event downtown. Today, Augusta is a thriving modern city that still has ties to its long history.

Enjoy beautiful historic buildings in downtown Augusta

Visit downtown Augusta, and you will see many historic buildings. The city also features some landmark homes:

• The Brahe House is a three-story house from 1850. The home features some unique architecture. The main structure is an excellent example of Sand Hills Cottage architecture, a modified type of Greek Revival architecture, yet the basement design is entirely English. 
• Joseph Rucker Lamar Boyhood Home is an attractive mid-nineteenth-century house. It is the childhood dwelling of Joseph Rucker Lamar, who was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court.
• The Woodrow Wilson Boyhood Home is a house museum where you can see for yourself where President Woodrow Wilson lived as a child. The Wilson family built the house in 1859, and it has lots of interesting architectural features, including a portico and transom window and a carriage house on the grounds. The inside has been refitted as an authentic mid-nineteenth century home.

When you are finished viewing the historic homes, there are plenty of other historic buildings to explore, including:

• Old Government House was the local government seat from 1801 – 1821 and has also served as a family home. The architecture is an excellent example of the Federal style.
• Academy of Richmond County is the fifth oldest public high school still existing in the United States. This imposing building is still in use as a high school.
• The congregation of B'nai Israel Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Georgia and offers a rare example of a Greek-style Synagogue.

SERVPRO understands the needs of historic buildings

Unfortunately, Augusta is all too familiar with the danger fire poses to historic buildings. In 1916, a blaze tore through 25 blocks, including part of downtown. Thousands of people became homeless, and hundreds of business owners lost their premises.

Historic buildings post unique challenges. SERVPRO takes these into account by:

• Assessing each surface to ensure we use the most appropriate cleaning technique.
• Using thermal imaging to search for hidden damp patches as a result of fire hose use.
• Being mindful of the need to take extra care when repainting, re-papering, or replacing structural elements.

If you are worried about fire damage restoration, call SERVPRO of Columbia County at (706) 868-5441.