Fall 2020 - 1736 Magazine

The first phase of the renovation could
take as little as nine months to complete,
he said. The more complicated and timeconsuming
second phase will be renovating
the sanctuary, whose defining feature
is the copper-clad dome rising 20 feet
above the church’s 62-foot-high plaster
ceiling.
“The overall character of the building
is one of massiveness, symmetry, and
restrained Baroque monumentality,”
according to a summary description by
the National Park Service. “The imposing
dome on top is a climax to the massiveness
of the entire building.”
Renovating the colossal space could
take up to a year or more, Edge said.
He is undecided about what to do
with the sanctuary, but said he is leaning
toward renovating into an upscale
restaurant space, where the building’s
neoclassical architecture would enhance
the ambiance.
An eatery would require the sanctuary’s
sloped, amphitheater-style floor
to be leveled, something Edge said could
easily be done utilizing the church’s
original hardwood flooring, which spent
decades concealed by carpeting. The
building has no dedicated parking spaces,
but Edge said his firm owns a parking lot
about a block away, which a restaurateur
could use for valet service.
The building also sits within walking
distance of the Augusta Entertainment
Complex’s Bell Auditorium and James
Brown Arena.
“I’m liking the idea of a restaurant
more and more,” Edge said. “If anybody
has a better idea, I’m all ears. We’ve got
some time to figure it out. It’s a cool
building.”
Cool is an understatement. The building’s
rotunda-esque interior – though
decayed from years of neglect – is almost
entirely historically intact. Most of its
windows, doors, ornate moldings and
stained glass – some of which are
believed to have been designed by
Tiffany & Co – are original, as are the
Corinthian columns and decorative
garlands that define the building’s stately
exterior.
The building was constructed in 1902
to replace the smaller church that had
been erected on the property in 1821. It
was designed by William F. Denny, a
well-known Southern architect who also
designed Atlanta’s Rhodes Memorial
Hall and the former Piedmont Hotel, a
turn-of-the-century building considered
Atlanta’s first “Northern”-style hotel.
Edge and Wilson purchased the building
from demolition contractor J.S. Rowe
for $200,000 in late August.
CHURCH continues on 26
A worker walks past a boarded up section
of the old First Baptist Church of Augusta
building on Greene Street, which has
deteriorated from years of neglect.
A stairwell leading to
the gallery of the old
First Baptist Church
of Augusta reveals
peeling paint and
cracked plaster.
Despite years of neglect,
the old First Baptist Church
of Augusta building on
Greene Street retains many
of its original architectural
flourishes, including its
distinctive windows.
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