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1736 Magazine - Vision for the Future

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Funding fades, but Augusta<br />

museum projects stay<br />

The <strong>for</strong>mer Court of Ordinary building, which is adjacent to <strong>the</strong> <strong>for</strong>mer Children of Israel Synagogue on Telfair Street, would house<br />

exhibits and memorabilia to help present <strong>the</strong> history, legacy and struggles of <strong>the</strong> Jewish people as <strong>the</strong> Augusta Jewish Museum.<br />

[MICHAEL HOLAHAN/THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE]<br />

By JOE HOTCHKISS<br />

Downtown Augusta<br />

doesn’t have a “cultural<br />

corridor” yet<br />

– but a door to it has<br />

been opened.<br />

The idea, conceived by downtown<br />

business and civic leaders, is to<br />

emphasize <strong>the</strong> proximity of several<br />

downtown museums and market<br />

<strong>the</strong>m to visitors as a single attraction<br />

that showcases art and history.<br />

And like <strong>the</strong> future of so many<br />

o<strong>the</strong>r projects, its progress boils<br />

down to money.<br />

Downtown boasts several<br />

museums already. The Augusta<br />

Museum of History and <strong>the</strong> Morris<br />

Museum of Art are <strong>the</strong> largest.<br />

Smaller attractions, such as <strong>the</strong><br />

Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art<br />

and <strong>the</strong> Boyhood Home of Woodrow<br />

Wilson, are housed in historic<br />

buildings that contribute to <strong>the</strong>ir<br />

tourism cachet.<br />

The Augusta Commission met<br />

late last year to decide how money<br />

would be allocated in <strong>the</strong> eighth<br />

iteration of <strong>the</strong> government’s special-purpose<br />

local option sales tax.<br />

Backers of more than 100 public or<br />

private projects submitted requests<br />

to receive part of <strong>the</strong> $250 million<br />

that’s expected to be spent over <strong>the</strong><br />

42 | <strong>1736</strong>magazine.com

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