FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, May 21, 2009

Contact:  Robert Preston, Jr.,
              912.260.4276
              robert.preston@sgc.edu

SGC’s Clower Center receives statewide award from Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation

South Georgia College’s Clower Center in Douglas received an award for Excellence in Rehabilitation from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation at its 31st Annual Preservation Awards ceremony Friday, May 15, in Augusta. SGC Vice-President of Student Affairs Dr. Jim Cottingham and Jackson Kane, architect with LAS, accepted the award on behalf of the college.

Built as a gymnasium for SGC in 1936, Clower Hall became a recreation area and then a storage facility for the college following the construction of a new gym in the 1960s. The building had suffered neglect and deterioration during recent years.

SGC embarked on a new student housing complex project – Tiger Village – in 2006 and interest grew in providing Clower Hall with a new use. Clower Hall’s nearly 10,000 square feet of open space and its proximity to student housing presented an ideal situation to reuse the building as a student center. With the students voting overwhelmingly in support of a referendum authorizing the assessment of a fee to finance the project, the rehabilitation of Clower Hall commenced. Work included re-pointing exterior bricks, repairing the original windows, exposing the building’s large truss system in the ceiling, adding insulation, and improving ADA accessibility.

With the active involvement of students, staff and community partners, the rehabilitation work was completed in 2007. The Clower Center now serves as a student center for SGC’s residential and commuter students. The facility also hosts alumni gatherings and community groups. The center was named in memory of long-time South Georgia College professor T. A. Clower who taught at SGC from 1928-1954.

For 31 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 Rehabilitation.

Click for an associated photo:
Dr. Jim Cottingham of South Georgia College and Jackson Kane, architect with LAS, accepted an award on behalf of SGC for Excellence in Rehabilitation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The award was presented by Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation President Mark McDonald, left, and Chairman Michael L. Starr. The SGC Clower Center project was recognized at the Georgia Trust’s annual meeting in Augusta.

# # # # 

About South Georgia College

South Georgia College (www.sgc.edu) was founded in 1906 and is a two-year institution in the University System of Georgia. Located in Douglas, Ga., the college's environment gives students exceptional opportunities for interdisciplinary study and close collaboration with faculty.