Historic Preservation

The Arch was purposely designed in the 19th century to mimic the State of Georgia’s logo. Originally called the Campus Gate, it was installed circa 1857 and created with three lampposts, the top half of a boiler, a lintel, and house brackets. It also featured two tall metal gates. (The structure replaced a pre-existing wooden gate but served the same purpose: to keep the chickens and pigs wandering around town from wandering onto campus.) The Arch was moved off the sidewalk circa 1898, while the urns and globe lights were added circa 1915; the masonry hardscape was installed in the 1940s. The Arch received a full preservation makeover in 2015.

Ten of the University’s original cast iron lampposts line the sidewalk from the Arch to Old College. Presented to UGA by the Class of 1914, they were the first row of electric lights on campus and the first significant outdoor electric lights in Athens. Installed by Athens Rail & Light Company, the 1914 Senior Class paid the company $200 for one dozen lampposts after a bidding war broke out between Athens Rail & Light and the local gas light provider. The lamppost preservation project was completed in spring 2014, and it included new footers, wiring and LED fixtures.

The University of Georgia may own the oldest G. W. Holbrook bell south of Charlottesville, Virginia; however, it is not the University’s first bell. The original bell cracked in 1847 and the first replacement bell cracked in 1903. The current bell – replacement number two – was cast in 1835 but arrived on campus between 1903 and 1911. All of the bells were housed in the Chapel’s cupola until that feature was removed in 1913. A bell tower was built, and although it was intended to be a temporary solution, the outdoor installation quickly integrated into campus life. The accident that damaged the original tower in the fall of 2007 triggered a full preservation project for the following year. A new tower was built and installed with a freshly repaired bell in August 2008. The bell’s bronze clapper and steel frame were installed in 2018; the braking system was added in 2019.

The fiberglass bulldogs visible around Athens were installed in 2003. The bulldogs were sponsored by local businesses and individuals, and were intended to be a temporary public art installation (“We Let the Dawgs Out”). They proved so popular, however, that the city opted to keep them as a permanent art feature. “Sailor Dawg” (officially named “W.B. Ellis” and painted in full U.S. Navy dress whites) was purchased by the U.S. Navy Supply Corps School when it was housed at what is now the UGA Health Sciences Campus (HSC) on Prince Avenue. The U.S. Navy gave Sailor Dawg to the University when it vacated the supply school property, and it’s become a beloved fixture to both HSC students and faculty. All of the University’s outdoor fiberglass bulldogs are monitored by Grounds for damage and paint issues. When necessary, professional repairs and/or repainting are coordinated with the appropriate department.

The lampposts visible at the top of the Milledge Avenue staircase were cast by the George Cutter Company of South Bend, Indiana. Purchased by the Lucy Cobb Institute for $32.50 each (freight not included), each “Sol-Lux Bridge Newel Light” weights 175 pounds. The original globes were round, opaque white glass with a newel (or ventilator) at the top, and that design is mimicked by the current acorn lamps. This 2019 preservation project included repairs to the original concrete bases, new below-grade footers, and updated wiring and LED fixtures.

Wood and wire fencing was installed around the perimeter of the Franklin College (now North Campus) in the 1800s to keep animals from wandering onto campus. The 1850s, however, saw a push to improve the look of the college and a cast iron fence was ordered from the Athens Foundry. Each 8-foot section typically includes 23 separate cast iron parts and was installed at grade along Broad Street circa 1855. Access through the fence was via gates or stiles, i.e., staircases that go up and over a fence. The Lumpkin and Jackson Street elevations remained a mix of wood and wire fencing until the early-to-mid 20th century. The Broad Street fence was completely preserved in 2012 and 2013, and the project included cleaning, priming and painting the metal, new granite footers and mid-supports, and installing custom designed fasteners. The Lumpkin Street wall and fence project will be undertaken at a later date.

Established circa 1810 on property included in the University’s original Athens land grant, the cemetery evolved as a common burial ground. In common burial grounds, a burial location is selected by friends or family of the deceased, who were also required to arrange for burial and maintain the grave. A formal property deed was not negotiated between the Board of Regents and the City of Athens, however, and the site went through a period of decline. An effort was made to formalize the cemetery boundary in 1961/62 when the University added the concrete block wall. The cemetery was rescued by The Old Athens Cemetery Foundation in the early 1980s: they negotiated a deed for the property and managed the cemetery between 1983 and 2004. The group deeded the property back to the University System of Georgia in 2004, and the cemetery has been managed by the Grounds Department since that year. Preservation efforts began in January 2006 with a site survey, resource inventory, and condition assessment. Repairs began in 2008, and the cemetery’s National Register nomination was submitted that same year. (Old Athens / Jackson Street was added to the Register in 2009.) The fence was added in 2013. The preservation projects, including maintenance, research and stewardship, are on-going.

Charles Morton Strahan was born in Virginia in 1864 and graduated from the University of Georgia in 1878. Upon joining the faculty in 1884, Strahan and his wife moved into a circa 1840 faculty house on campus in an area now known as Library Quad. Professor Strahan retired in 1934 as the Professor of Civil Engineering and lived in that residence his death in 1947. The residence, outbuildings and yard were converted for use by the Law School after the professor’s death, and the rear entrance was formalized with brick piers and a metal gate in the early 1950s. The Strahan House residence and outbuildings were demolished in the late 1960s for current Law School Library.

The brick piers framing the Jackson Street entrance to Owens Fountain were installed circa 1952, roughly 15 years before the demolition of Strahan House. Each gate panel is built into a pier, so it is likely that the gate actually dates to the early 1950s. Nevertheless, the entrance is called the Strahan Gate in his honor. This preservation project was completed in the summer of 2018.