WinShape Retreat Center Earns National Preservation Award

      The WinShape Retreat Center located on Berry's mountain campus has received a prestigious National Preservation Honor Award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The project is one of 21 national award winners honored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation during its weeklong 2007 National Preservation Conference held in the Twin Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
      For decades, the Normandy Dairy Farm was a busy part of Berry College. Originally established to provide education and training for the youth of rural North Georgia, the dairy - long considered one of the best dairies in Georgia - was built by students at Berry College in the 1930s, thanks in part to initial funds provided by such luminaries as Henry Ford and President Herbert Hoover.
      But when the dairy moved to a new location, this complex of brick and timber buildings faced an uncertain future. What happens to a dairy farm when the cows are gone?
      What happened to this one is a textbook example of adaptive use. Today the former dairy farm has a new life as the WinShape Retreat. Fifteen original structures – from milking barns to silos – have been imaginatively rehabbed to provide top-quality facilities for conferences, retreats and summer camps. The dining hall, the centerpiece of the new complex, was once a milking barn. And what served as a barn to house calves on the dairy farm has now been converted into WinShape Retreat's magnificent reception hall and welcome center.
      "This is an inspiring example of what preservation is all about," said Richard Moe, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. "The transformation of an architecturally significant but abandoned dairy facility into a thriving retreat is a powerful example of how adaptive use can breathe new life into historic buildings."
      Throughout, original architectural features have been sensitively retained, and great care has been taken to add modern systems without compromising the integrity of the historic buildings or their bucolic setting. The designers were also mindful of disturbing WinShape's peaceful, rural setting. For example, to minimize the noise generated by the HVAC system, the builders utilized an underground geothermal piping grid to avoid the noise of outdoor compression units.
      Co-nominees honored for WinShape Retreat's Honor Award are: WinShape Foundation; Berry College; and Surber, Barber, Choate and Hertlein, Architects. P.C.
      The National Preservation Awards are bestowed on distinguished individuals, nonprofit organizations, public agencies and corporations whose skill and determination have given new meaning to their communities through preservation of our architectural and cultural heritage. These efforts include citizen attempts to save and maintain important landmarks; companies and craftsmen whose work restores the richness of the past; the vision of public officials who support preservation projects and legislation in their communities; and educators and journalists who help Americans understand the value of preservation.
      Media interested in learning more about the National Trust’s 2007 National Preservation Award Winners or in attending future conference events should contact the National Trust Communications Office at 202-588-6141. Registration is free to the media, as are the awards ceremony, field sessions, educational sessions and special events. For more information and images of the 2007 National Preservation Award winners, visit www.nationaltrust.org/preservation_awards/ or press.nationaltrust.org.
      
      The 2007 National Preservation Award Winners:
      
      Louise du Pont Crowninshield Award:
      
      Nellie Longsworth, Bethesda, Md. – Longtime leader of Preservation Action, the first national organization dedicated to preservation advocacy on Capitol Hill, Nellie Longsworth is a preservation powerhouse with a passion for getting the job done.
      
      John H. Chafee Trustees' Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Policy:
      
      North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division, Raleigh, N.C. – The North Carolina Department of Transportation Rail Division has launched the biggest publicly funded historic preservation program in the state's history – and it's all about railroads. This far-reaching program, linking the reinstitution of passenger train service with the restoration of historic railroad structures, has already sparked significant private investment in communities across the state.
      
      National Trust/ACHP Award for Federal Partnerships in Historic Preservation:

      BLM's Anasazi Heritage Center and Canyons of the Ancients National Monument, Dolores, Colo. – The Bureau of Land Management, faced with the enormous challenge of protecting scores of artifacts on millions of acres under its jurisdiction, formed innovative partnerships that utilized hundreds of volunteers to preserve the legacy of the first Americans while creating a new generation of cultural heritage advocates.
      
      National Trust/HUD Secretary's Award for Excellence In Historic Preservation:
      
      Hilliard Homes, Chicago, Ill. – Despite being listed in the National Register, renowned architect Bertrand Goldberg’s 1966 "space-age" public housing high-rise had fallen into disrepair by the 1990s. Today, after a $99 million that relied on federal historic tax credits, Hilliard Homes is once again a beacon on the Chicago skyline.
      
      Trustees' Emeritus Award for Excellence in the Stewardship of Historic Sites:
      
      Mount Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Mass. – In 1831, Mount Auburn was founded as America’s first rural cemetery. Unlike many preservation showplaces, Mount Auburn — the best-endowed historic cemetery in the country — doesn’t lend itself to dramatic before-and-after images. Instead, the story here is about wise stewardship and an enduring determination to preserve this hallowed ground.
      
      Trustees' Award for Organizational Excellence:
      
      Michigan Historic Preservation Network, Lansing, Mich. – The 25-year-old Michigan Historic Preservation Network is one of the most effective statewide organizations in the country. A thriving educational and advocacy organization, it offers nationally recognized programs for both beginner and seasoned preservationists.
      
      Board of Advisors Award:
      
      Gold Dome Bank, Oklahoma City, Okla. – When plans were announced to demolish Oklahoma City's iconic Gold Dome Bank, local preservationists launched a spirited, grassroots campaign to save this Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic dome. Now, it’s a thriving mixed-use center that anchors the city’s newly designated Asian District.
      
      THE 2007 NATIONAL PRESERVATION HONOR AWARD WINNERS:
      
      The Arc Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark. – For more than 30 years, The Arc has been a leader in converting older buildings into housing that allows those with disabilities to live independently in mainstream community life.

      Bureau of Land Management (BLM) — Eastern States, Bois Fort Band of Minnesota Chippewa, 1854 Treaty Authority, Minn. – To confront the alarming destruction of heritage resources in northern Minnesota, the BLM formed partnerships with the Bois Forte Band of Minnesota Chippewa and the 1854 Treaty Authority, launching a cooperative stewardship program that is protecting irreplaceable resources in Minnesota.

      City of Iowa City and Friends of Historic Preservation, Iowa City, Iowa – Hours after a powerful tornado devastated three of Iowa City’s historic districts in 2006, the city teamed with the nonprofit Friends of Historic Preservation to launch a massive recovery effort that now serves as a national model.

      The Mount, Lenox, Mass. – Twenty years ago, The Mount, Edith Wharton's country estate in the Berkshires, was on the brink of collapse. Thanks to the nonprofit Edith Wharton Restoration, the 42-room mansion and its three acres of formal gardens has been painstakingly restored to its former grandeur.

      Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles, Calif. – Though it had been a fixture of the Hollywood Hills skyline for decades, Griffith Observatory suffered from earthquake damage and had not seen improvements since the silent-film era. A five-year, $93 million meticulous renovation and expansion breathed new life into this Southern California jewel.
      
      Indiana Historic SPANS Task Force, Indianapolis, Ind. – Indiana's historic bridges, once threatened by piecemeal demolition, are now under the watchful eye of the SPANS Task Force, which has produced a precedent-setting process to identify those bridges most suitable for preservation.
      
      Landmark Center, St. Paul, Minn. – Originally a courthouse and now an architectural icon that serves as a vibrant focus of community life, Landmark Center, owned by Ramsey County and operating under the careful stewardship of Minnesota Landmarks, has been a cornerstone of downtown St. Paul's rebirth.
      
      Mercy Housing, Savannah, Ga. – Mercy Housing is working to revitalize one of Savannah's poorest and most historic communities, using historic tax credits to transform deteriorating housing stock into attractive, affordable housing for families, while also constructing appropriate infill housing on once-vacant lots.
      
      Reggie Black, Denver, Colo. – Reggie Black led her fellow Colonial Dames on a successful $2 million fundraising crusade to ensure a bright future for the 1875 Hotel de Paris, one of only three hotel museums in the country.

      Sabbathday Lake Village, Forest and Farm Project, New Gloucester, Maine – A dwindling Shaker population and increasing development pressure threatened the future of Sabbathday Lake, one of America’s iconic Shaker communities. Today, thanks to an intensive collaborative effort, this beautiful and engaging piece of America’s heritage still lives.

      Illinois Historic Preservation Agency’s "Upstairs Downtown" Program, Springfield, Ill. – Launched in 2005, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency's "Upstairs Downtown" program conducts workshops that provide creative answers to a fundamental question of Main Street revitalization: "How can vacant upper floors contribute to vibrant, street-level activity?"
      
      Urban Outfitters Corporate Office Campus, Philadelphia, Pa. – Where others saw the buildings of the historic Philadelphia Navy Yard as eyesores, Urban Outfitters saw them as an opportunity to create a unique corporate campus and make a bold design statement, sparking a major redevelopment that has brought 70 businesses to the once-dormant site.
      
      WinShape Retreat at Berry College Mountain Campus, Rome, Ga. – In a textbook example of adaptive use, this former dairy farm has a new life as the WinShape Retreat, a state-of-the-art event and conference center in bucolic northern Georgia.
      
      Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn. – The luster of Louis Kahn’s concrete, glass and steel modernist masterpiece had been dimmed over the years by insensitive changes. Today, after an extensive rehabilitation, Kahn’s distinctive vision shines again.
      
      The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a private, nonprofit membership organization dedicated to protecting the irreplaceable. Recipient of the National Humanities Medal, the Trust was founded in 1949 and provides leadership, education, advocacy, and resources to save America's diverse historic places and revitalize communities. Its Washington, DC headquarters staff, six regional offices and 28 historic sites work with the Trust's 270,000 members and thousands of local community groups in all 50 states. For more information, visit the Trust's web site at www.nationaltrust.org.

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