Preservation Alert: Two Proposals Would Hurt the Integrity of the District
First Preservation Alert: Proposed 6-Story Hotel/Residence Is Visually Incompatible and Eliminates Elements of the Original 1733 Oglethorpe Plan
A massive 6-story structure proposed at 20-24 East Oglethorpe Avenue, 73 feet high and over 80 feet across, is not visually compatible in height or mass with the contributing buildings within view, most of which are 2 to 4 story townhouses.
The proposal requires a recombination of lots, which would be achieved by terminating an original 1730s tithing lot division in Percival Ward, one of the first four wards of the Oglethorpe Plan. This is the first attempted alteration of the historic Oglethorpe Plan since the introduction of the new subdivision rules in 2023.
The proposal will be heard at the Historic District Review Board at 1 PM on February 12, 2025, at 112 East State Street. Whether or not you can attend in person, please send an email to mellonj@thempc.org, even if you wrote a prior email in October 2024. Here is a sample email:
Our original alert from January 2, 2024 is below:
Dear Mr. Mellon,
I oppose the proposed building at 20-24 East Oglethorpe. It is not visually compatible in height and mass with the contributing buildings in view, including the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace and the many townhouses nearby. Further, I oppose the recombination’s elimination of an original 1733 tithing lot line.
[signature and address]
Please copy opc.preservation@gmail.com in your email.
Second Preservation Alert – Inappropriate Deck Proposed for Factor’s Walk
504 E. Bay Street seeks to add a deck to the front of the building. The deck will project over part of Lower Factor’s Walk. The building is a contributing late Victorian warehouse, and the deck hides most of the lower half of the Bay St. façade. Here’s what is proposed:
The proposal will be heard at the Historic District Review Board at 1 PM on February 12, 2025, at 112 East State Street. Whether or not you can attend in person, please send an email to mellonj@thempc.org. Here is a sample email:
Dear Mr. Mellon:
I object to the proposed deck at 504 E. Bay Street.
It is inconsistent with the Secretary of Interior Standards because it obscures the character-defining features of nearly half the façade. It creates a pattern of solids and voids that is visually incompatible with that of the adjacent historic structures and sets a bad precedent adversely affecting all of Lower Factor’s Walk. The proposal also does not comply with the rules that decks must be screened from view and that additions shall not be visible from the front façade.
[signature and address]
Please copy opc.preservation@gmail.com.
Sincerely,
Andrew Berrien Jones
Chair, Oglethorpe Plan Coalition, Inc.