(rshsdepot) Augusta, GA

[I95BERNIEW_@_aol.com]

From today's Augusta Chronicle.
 
Bernie Wagenblast
 
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 
Old depot remains part of plan

By Tony Lombardo | Staff Writer
Wednesday, July 19, 2006

The Reynolds Street train depot sits in a state of deterioration, but  its 
prospective buyer said he is committed to preserving part, if not all of it. 
 
Harry E. Kitchen Jr., the developer planning to buy the site, said he wants  
to incorporate the century-old structure into his plans for upscale 
condominiums  on the city-owned property, possibly using it to house office space and an 
urban  grocery store.
 
"I've been aware of the nature of the depot and the intent to preserve the  
depot, and we've maintained from Day 1 that we would try to preserve as much of 
 the depot as we can," said Mr. Kitchen, president of The Foxfield Co., based 
in  Bluffton, S.C.
 
Mr. Kitchen has proposed to invest more than $80 million to develop luxury  
condominiums to be called The Watermark on The Augusta Riverwalk, a 180-unit  
development occupying two 10-story towers.
 
The depot's future likely will be discussed next week when Mr. Kitchen,  
county leaders and members of the Downtown Development Authority begin the final  
negotiations for the sale of the 6.3-acre riverfront parcel for $1.85  million.
 
Mr. Kitchen said he would like to restore the entire depot building, rather  
than individual sections of the rectangular structure. He said that depends,  
however, on whether the building hinders vehicle access to the property, which 
 is accessible only on Sixth Street.
 
"If you find you can't safely get in and out of that property, you have to  
do something," he said.
 
That could mean reconstructing part of the depot in another location on the  
site, provided it is economically and structurally feasible, Mr. Kitchen  said.
 
Structural repairs and their cost also could play a role in how much of the  
depot can be retained, he said.
 
"I think there's a lot more work to be done than anybody knows at this  
point," said Mr. Kitchen, who has yet to tour the depot.
 
Right now the 17,500-square-foot building is unfit for occupancy, said Rob  
Sherman, the director of Richmond County License & Inspection  Department.
 
"Under the present condition it would have limited uses because of the  
noncompliance with today's building codes," he said.
 
In February, the Downtown Development Authority received a $450,000 Georgia  
Department of Transportation grant to pay for structural improvements at the  
depot.
 
Officials are unsure whether the grant will be valid when the property is  no 
longer owned by the city, Downtown Development Authority Executive Director  
Margaret Woodard said. She said she is seeking an answer from the 
Transportation  Department.
 
Mr. Kitchen said losing the grant would not change his plans to renovate  the 
depot.
 
"We're very hopeful the grant can be assigned to us, but in the event it  
would not be available, we would not alter our commitment," he said.
 
Despite the cost, Mr. Kitchen said it would be worth restoring the depot  
because it's "a historic structure that a lot of people feel very strongly  
about."
 
Historic Augusta Inc. would like to see it restored and used for some sort  
of public use, said Erick Montgomery, the executive director of the historic  
preservation group.
 
"It's important to come up with a design for this new place that will  
respect that," he said.
 
Mr. Kitchen said the condo towers would have a primarily brick facade and  
would match similar architecture downtown, such as the nearby Augusta Marriott  
Hotel & Suites.
 
The depot and the land both signify important Augusta history, Mr.  
Montgomery said.
 
What remains of the original depot, built in the 1850s by South Carolina  
Railroad, is the office building at Fifth and Reynolds streets. The freight  
warehouse connected to it was built in the 1900s. The depot linked Georgia and  
South Carolina and helped open inland commerce in the Southeast.
 
"We're the town where railroads started in the state of Georgia," Mr.  
Montgomery said.
 
The Reynolds Street depot is the most visible of the city's last remaining  
depots, Mr. Montgomery said. The other depot at the corner of Sixth and Taylor  
streets - which is rented out for banquets and receptions - is obscured from  
view by the Walton Way railroad overpass.
 
Mr. Montgomery also said the riverfront depot property is significant  
because it is one of the original city blocks laid out in the 1730s. 
 
Reach Tony Lombardo at (706) 823-3227 or _tony.lombardo_@_augustachronicle.com_ 
(mailto:tony.lombardo_@_augustachronicle.com) .

=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

------------------------------