Lord Aeck Sargent

Congratulations to the Jones Building team for the receiving the National Trust for Historic Preservation's 2024 Excellence in Rehabilitation Awards! #LAS was pleased to provide preservation architecture services for the exterior rehabilitation of the building back in 2019 for the City of Canton GA. The city subsequently sold the property to Penn Hodge Properties who’s design team recently completed the interior rehabilitation. LAS participated on this phase of the project by providing #historic tax credit consultation. We are thrilled to have been a part of this multi-phased and collaborative effort! Learn about the building here: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ePKTnaKD #HistoricPreservation #SavingPlaces #TeamHP #Architecture

We love #PreservationMonth so much, we had to post one final person in June! Meet Dr. Caroline Swope, Decatur, Alabama's historic preservation specialist. With over thirty years of experience in historic rehabilitations, design review, and historic tax credits, she brings extensive expertise to her role. Dr. Swope is dedicated to helping property owners secure financial incentives for their preservation projects, making a significant impact in her community. "My world has been dominated by the built environment from my earliest memories of my grandfather’s 1860s I-house and 1820s bank barn to my great-aunt’s Victorian era house that was remodeled with Craftsman detailing. It is one thing to hear about past events, it is another to walk through the same places. I love a good story, and a building is a good story that has been made tangible. Most historic buildings have multiple stories, the complexity and contradiction create an intriguing artifact. I love the craftsmanship, the insight into past times, and the connection that these layered places share." Join us in celebrating Dr. Swope and her unwavering commitment to preserving the stories of our past! 📸#1: The Princess Theatre | Built in 1887 📸#2: Old State Bank | Built in 1883 📸#3: Delano Park | Founded in 1887 Learn more about the City of Decatur Alabama here: 🔗https://lnkd.in/e9-vkdzf #PreservationMonth #PeopleSavingPlaces #HistoricPreservation #LAS

Our next #PeopleSavingPlaces profile features the Americus-Sumter County Movement Remembered Committee, Inc. (ASCMRC). President Sam Mahone is supported by a committee of like-minded volunteers, all with diverse professional backgrounds. ASCMRC is championing the rehabilitation of the Historic Americus Colored Hospital, constructed in 1923, into a #civilrights and #culturalcenter. The center will serve as a hub for community engagement and activities. An onsite health clinic will provide the community with basic screening services and health fairs, paying homage to its previous use as a hospital. After the hospital closed down in the 1950s, it became a beloved community center and subsequently a #FreedomCenter where civil rights activities were organized. A gallery, library, and exhibit space will convey the history of the Americus Colored Hospital (1923-1953) and the Americus-Sumter County Civil Rights Movement (1962-1966). Included in this collection are photographs, letters, affidavits from jailed local activists, newspaper and magazine articles, memorabilia, and field reports from civil rights workers representing the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). ASCMRC President Sam Mahone experienced the challenges and dangers of civil rights activism in Americus as a member of SNCC and through his role in organizing the Black community, supporting voter registration, and picketing segregated establishments. One of the committee members shared that the possibility of retaining a piece of her personal history was powerful. Mr. Mahone first recognized the need for preservation efforts back in the 1980s and 90s when the Sweet Auburn District, a historically Black neighborhood and center of commerce, had fallen into disrepair. Economic developers and others in the #preservation community focused attention on the needs of this significant historic district. Sam appreciates that the historic hospital will continue to serve the community, providing a window to its past and a meaningful role for its future. Sam stated that there are so many sites in the area with tremendous importance that are lost to us because people do not take the time to preserve them. He says, “I cannot stress enough the lack of attention given to historic structures within Black and brown communities of color. The contributions of these sacred places have too often been marginalized and diminished by the lack of community input in most of our local and national preservation institutions. Representation matters, and only when our voices are heard and valued, will we see the change that needs to happen.” 📸#1: Committee members reviewing plans at a recent workshop 📸#2: Current exterior of Historic Americus Colored Hospital 📸#3: Current interior of Historic Americus Colored Hospital 🔗https://lnkd.in/epkZKCiJ #ASCMRC #Americus #BlackHistory #SavingPlaces #LAS

Join the Fayette Allliance tomorrow for their second Grow Smart Academy Session: Growing Our City 🏙️ 🗓️ Tuesday, June 4 🕠 5:30 - 8 p.m. 📍 The Cornerstone, 401 S Limestone Lexington’s planning and land use policies, set out in their Comprehensive Plan, outline the vision for how residents live, work, and play. This session connects land use policy to their everyday quality of life. Grow Smart Academy: Session Two will educate attendees on infill and redevelopment, the preliminary plans for the proposed expansion areas, and the 2045 Comprehensive Plan. Our #Lexington Director, Stan Harvey, will present on Fayette Alliance's newest research, analyzing #HousingTrends in Lexington-Fayette Co, as well as Sam Castro from TSW as she discusses the #UrbanGrowthPlan, the plan guiding how the proposed expansion areas will be developed, and lastly from Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government (LFUCG)’s Division of Planning staff about the 2045 Comprehensive Plan and the Urban Growth Plan, how they are working to address challenges facing the city. Register here: 🔗 https://bit.ly/4bWizNM #LexingtonFayette #FayetteAlliance #GrowSmart #UrbanDesign #LAS

#LAS was happy to participate in the "UT Means Business: Campus Construction" event at The University of Texas at Austin this morning! It was a great opportunity to catch up with our old friends from past projects as well as make new connections for future endeavors. So many exciting things are happening at #UTAustin! #HookEm #HUB #HigherEd #Architecture

Our next #PeopleSavingPlaces profile is of Natalie George, the Executive Director at the Flower Hill Center. With six years of dedicated service to the Center and over two decades in the performing arts and non-profit sectors, Natalie brings a wealth of experience and passion to historic preservation. Natalie's entrepreneurial flair is evident in her company, Natalie George Productions, which excels in event design, lighting, and artist management. Her approach to preservation embodies the spirit of the Smoot family’s ethos: dream big, work hard, and share generously. "It is an honor to guide the legacy of the Smoot family. Spending time with the past and understanding its importance in our current world is very important to me. With our 150th anniversary approaching in 2027, scaling up our preservation efforts has been on the forefront of my mind. In 2022 we were able to replace our aging roof, 2024 will include the restoration of our historic garage into a multi-use space, and in 2025 we will begin work on the floors and foundations of the home. Accomplishing this amount of restoration in such a short time is imperative and is only possible with great partners like LAS, our contractors, and our community of supporters." 📸#1: Updated roof of the Richmond Kelley Smoot House 📸#2: Pre-Restoration Historic Garage 📸#3: Historic Flower Hill Learn more about Flower Hill Center here: 🔗https://lnkd.in/gtcQekvV #PreservationMonth #HistoricPreservation #LAS

Last month, #LAS was honored to attend the 14th Annual Hugh M. Gloster Society Celebration at Morehouse School of Medicine. This signature event is critical in raising scholarship dollars for #MSM students. Since a large percentage of their student population comes from challenging socioeconomic backgrounds, the impact of scholarships can be life-altering. Scholarships help lift their debt burden, freeing them to go out and make a difference — realizing MSM’s mission to make medical systems safer, healthier, and more equitable. Thanks to the generosity of attendees, MSM exceeded their fundraising goal, amassing over $1.2m to support Morehouse School of Medicine student scholarships! 🎉 Learn more about the Gloster Society: 🔗https://lnkd.in/guk7cfv2 #HealthEquity #MorehouseSchoolofMedicine #Philanthropy

Another #Architect in the making! Our #LAS employees alone are raising the entire next generation of architects 👶💚 #LittleLASer #WelcomeToTheTeam #FutureArchitect

For our second #PeopleSavingPlaces spotlight, we'd like to share the work Annette Abernathy has been contributing to #HistoricPreservation in Georgia. “After 33 years in the television industry, leaving in 2014 created the most gratifying and satisfying work opportunity when I ventured into the preservation and restoration of the Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church (WHSBC). My work in television afforded opportunities to rebrand myself, which led me to construction and project management. Now I understand those roles were preparing me for what I do now. In 2016, I assumed the role of President and CEO of the Ralph David Abernathy, III Foundation, Inc. The Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church restoration is 90% complete, and it has afforded me the opportunity to work on several other worthy restoration projects throughout Georgia. In addition to WHSBC, I have other projects under construction and future projects in the works: Historic Campbell Chapel AME Church (Americus, GA), The Girard Elementary School (Girard, GA), Mother Trinity CME Church (Augusta, GA), and Dasher High School (Valdosta, GA). Working with a team to secure the funds to restore and save these properties is the best feeling, knowing buildings in peril deserve to be saved. I look forward to taking on more projects and building a much stronger preservation footprint in Georgia and across the country.” 📸#1: Before Interior of the Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church 📸#2: After Interior of the Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church 📸#3: After Exterior of the Historic West Hunter Street Baptist Church 📸#4: Current conditions of the Girard Elementary School Learn more about the Abernathy Foundation here: 🔗https://lnkd.in/eeYtSiJP #PeopleSavingPlaces #PreservationMonth #TeamHP National Trust for Historic Preservation

Last Wednesday, our #ChapelHill architects Lauren Dunn Rockart and Kelley Waldrop participated in the AIA Triangle Women in Architecture panel, Behind the Design[hers]. They discussed the renovation of North Carolina State University’s Dabney Hall, a project led by a talented team of women transforming this complex Chemistry research and teaching building. Thank you to AIA Triangle and WIA for hosting such a fantastic event! ❤️ #WIA #WomeninArchitecture #AIATriangle #NCState #LAS