By Larry B. Dendy
The Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation has honored the university with two awards for preserving historic structures.
The awards recognized the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for saving the "Red Barn" and the Office of University Architects for Demosthenian Hall.
The Red Barn was moved in 1997 from the busy College Station Road site where it had stood since it was built in 1934 to a pasture on the Whitehall Farm on South Milledge Avenue.
Smith Wilson, an expert on historic barns who is now president of the Athens-Clarke Heritage Foundation, praised the college for "keeping a structure that represents unique and significant history from falling to the wrecking ball."
The college will be refurbishing the barn in its new home and will use it for alumni and student activities.
The Office of University Architects oversaw restoration of the 1824 Demosthenian Hall, the second-oldest building on campus.
The building's second floor and its domed ceiling were restored to its original state. Danny Sniff, director of the university architects office, said the work "pays homage to one of the finest ornamental plaster ceilings in Georgia."
Wainscoting and fireplaces in the building were repainted in the original faux marble and wood, and architects used old photos to design shutters for windows to match the original exterior. Original colors and patterns were restored inside and out.
