These historic sites in Augusta are in danger, group says

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The old First Baptist Church and trees along downtown streets are among the top imperiled features on a list released Tuesday by Historic Augusta.

The trees are an unusual addition to the annual list, which is usually reserved for buildings.

New entries on the endangered list include homes at 2128 McDowell St., 1108 Miller St., 2345 Wrightsboro Road, and 2349 Wrightsboro Road, along with the Sand Hills neighborhood in general.

DEVELOPING STORY:

• Craig Allison is digging deeper on Augusta’s endangered buildings – why they’re in trouble and where we go from here. Watch for updates here on WRDW.com and on News 12.

Listed as deteriorating are the Weed School at 2403 Mount Auburn St. and Squeaky’s Tip Top at 2570 Central Ave.

Touted as having been saved are the Bolhler House at 1102 Phillips St. and a commercial block at 501, 507 and 513 James Brown Boulevard that’s in the process of rehabilitation using state and federal tax incentives to create luxury loft apartments on the upper floors.

Old First Baptist Church

The old First Baptist Church at 802 Greene St. with its iconic green dome is listed as an “imminently imperiled landmark.”

Built in 1902, the birthplace of the Southern Baptist Convention was once home to a congregation that ultimately moved west. Since then, the Beaux-Arts building has been home to other fledgling churches.

The building originally made the endangered list in 2014 and made the “progress” category in 2017 when a rehab was planned.

In 2020, a local real estate figure announced he was renovating the building.

“If action is not taken soon, the structure is at risk of hitting the point of no return,” Historic Augusta said.

Downtown trees

The group also lamented the loss of many historic and large downtown trees the city cut down, sparking outrage among some residents.

“This aggressive action toward one of our city’s finest assets is part of an overall downtown infrastructure plan for Broad, Greene, Telfair, Fifth, Sixth and 13th streets,” Historic Augusta said. “Although the plan was presented in hearings about a decade ago, it seems that few were aware that it included the removal of so many trees.”

The group noted the irony that in an age of concern about climate change, shade and oxygen are not prioritized.

“It is too late for the trees that have already been removed, but we advocate a program of replacement that is just as aggressive as the program of removal.”

The full list

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