Ossabaw Island’s Boarding House Receives Statewide Preservation Award from Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

Ossabaw Island’s Boarding House Receives Statewide Preservation Award from Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

ATLANTA, GA (Friday, April 9, 2010) — Ossabaw Island’s Boarding House received an award for Excellence in Restoration from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation at its 33rd annual Preservation Awards ceremony held April 9 in Rome, Georgia.

The 4,000 square-foot Boarding House was built on Ossabaw Island in 1918 during an era when the island was used as a hunting retreat by its owners, the partners of Savannah’s Strachan Shipping Company.

In 2004, the Ossabaw Island Foundation embarked on the restoration of the Boarding House after it suffered more than 20 years of neglect and deterioration.

With the conclusion of the restoration project in October 2009, the Boarding House now offers an upstairs apartment for an on-island coordinator in addition to four semi-private rooms for researchers, teachers, artists, students and others working on Ossabaw.

For more than 30 years, the Trust has recognized preservation projects and individuals in the state who have made significant contributions to the field of historic preservation. Awards are presented on the basis of the contributions of the person or project to the community and/or state and on compliance to the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

Awards in the Excellence in Restoration category recognize exemplary restoration of historic structures. An accurate restoration project depicts the form, features and character of a historic building as it appeared at a particular period of time. Restoration requires sensitive upgrading of mechanical systems and other code-required work to make the building functional. This year the Trust presented five Excellence in Restoration awards.

Founded in 1973, The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country’s largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. The Trust is committed to preserving and enhancing Georgia’s communities and their diverse historic resources for the education and enjoyment of all.

To learn more about The Georgia Trust and the Preservation Awards, visit www.georgiatrust.org.