'Persevere, don't give up': Georgia preservation group honors team for saving tabby building in Darien that survived fire during Civil War. The Adam Strain has a new life

In July 2023 (Picket photo), nearing completion (Marion Savic), and side view (Ethos Preservation)

The tabby Adam Strain building in coastal Darien, Ga., looked forlorn, lonely and, frankly, about to collapse in 2008 when it was listed among the state’s “Places in Peril.”

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation cited residential development pressure and the demolition of an 18^th century house north of town. Local concern for the Strain, which was built around 1815 and survived the Burning of Darien during the Civil War, had reached “a new high,” the nonprofit said.

Someone needed to step up and purchase “this rare survivor” and come up with a vision for its use as part of Darien’s heritage tourism program, the Trust urged.

That finally occurred in January 2020, when Milan and Marion Savic bought the Strain and began a long and expensive restoration of the distinctive warehouse perched on a riverfront bluff.

Marion Savic holds award with the Adam Strain team. Milan Savic is at far right (Photo GTHP)

The Trust this past weekend recognized the work by the Savics, consultants and preservation companies with its Marguerite Williams Award, presented annually to the project that has had the greatest impact on preservation in the state.

Last November, the Savics opened Tabby House Brewing in the Adam Strain and a restored bank building next door. The couple is developing an upstairs museum about the project and its ties to the local culture.

“It is an important example of a building that many thought was too far gone (left) being saved through perseverance and a commitment to quality craftsmanship,” Ben Sutton, director of preservation and legislative advocacy for the Trust, told the Picket in an email Monday.

The commerce building’s connection to the Federal burning of Darien in 1863 first drew me to its story, but the passion of the Savics and local residents kept me plugged into the daunting project.

“We had an amazing team that came together to do what was near impossible -- save the beautiful Adam Strain,” the Savics said in a Facebook post about the award.

I asked Marion Savic about the five-year effort and what advice she might give to someone taking on such an involved and complex project.

“It takes dedication, perseverance, good quality contractors, engineers, architects, etc. to make it work -- and money,” she replied. “State and federal tax credits definitely help offset some of the cost. Persevere, don’t give up and the outcome will be worth it.”

It weathered a firestorm during the Civil War

The Adam Strain has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small, interior port city above St. Simons Island for more than two centuries. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Scene from "Glory" shows troops arriving in Darien in June 1863.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells, lime and other materials and was popular in Georgia and Florida for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco was placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

The warehouse was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast during the Civil War.

In June 1863, Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery (below), commanding the African-American 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

He had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins. The destruction was depicted in the award-winning 1989 film "Glory."

Steven Smith, site manager for nearby Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket first wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

After most townspeople had fled, Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The Strain survived the fire but much of its interior was destroyed. The episode caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North.

'A case study in tabby preservation'

The warehouse was repaired after the Civil War and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II. It then sat empty for about 50 or so years.

The Strain, perhaps the oldest surviving in Darien, was beloved by its 2,000 residents, who worried for its future as its appearance worsened. The years rolled on.

Downtown has grown since this view of the Strain (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property. Two hundred-plus years had done its damage. A wall had a pronounced lean, the back wall facing the river was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability. The building was at risk of being toppled by strong winds.

Now, the building is an additional tourist draw in the city near St. Simons and Jekyll islands.

On Saturday, the Trust presented numerous preservation awards in Brunswick, Ga., during its annual Spring Ramble of historic homes and sites. The organization seeks partners to revitalize properties it has acquired or, as in the case of the strain, raise awareness of other endangered historic resources.

A press release on the award reads in part:

“From 2020 to 2024, the Savics and their team undertook a complex, multi-phase rehabilitation -- restoring historic tabby walls, wood floors, windows, and even a rooftop hoist system -- while installing a concealed steel frame to ensure stability. The adjacent 1880s-era Darien Bank building was also restored and incorporated into the project.

The large upstairs room features a bar, event space and artifacts found during work (Picket photo)

“Today, the buildings house the Tabby House Brewing Company and Museum, reinvigorating Darien’s waterfront and drawing new energy to the historic district. With techniques that now serve as a case study in tabby preservation, this project stands as a powerful example of vision, perseverance and the profound impact historic preservation can have in shaping Georgia’s cultural and architectural legacy.”

The recipients of the Marguerite Williams Award for 2025 are: Marion and Milan Savic, Bennett Preservation Engineering, Ethos Preservation, GEL Engineering, archaeologist NicholasHonerkamp and Myrna Crook, Landmark Preservation, LKS Architects, Method Engineering and Saussy Engineering.

The Strain team recognized Fred Ecker of Landmark Preservation for  his leadership and expertise.

2024's Top 12 Picket posts: Fort Fisher earthworks, Meade's cool hat, replica gun at Walmart, USS Monitor mystery, Burning of Darien survivor -- and much more

Clockwise: Enfield rifles conserved in Georgia; Herb Peck collection auction, Adam Strain building in Darien, Ga., deadline at Andersonville prison, George Meade's slouch hat and Fort Fisher's new replica traverses

Posts about a rescued tabby warehouse that has an interesting Civil War connection, Fort Fisher's rebuilt earthworks and new visitor center, George Meade’s cool slouch hat and rusted Enfield rifles being kept in an aquarium tank were big reader draws in 2024.

The top 12 Civil War Picket posts – by Blogger page views – covered a wide array of topics (two pertain to North Carolina's Fort Fisher).

Chad Jefferds, assistant site manager at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, recently told the Picket: “The reconstructed earthworks are already a major hit, and we hope to be adding more interpretation to them in the coming months. Visitors have also been very pleased with the exhibits, along with the views from the second-floor windows and balcony. We have seen a dramatic increase in visitation – this November’s total was 56% higher than November of 2023.”

We’ve got a few items in the works (including an update on Enfield rifles under conservation and Georgia troop markers at Manassas) and we look forward to rolling them out in early 2025. Thanks so much for your continued interest. Please tell a friend or two about us. And Happy New Year!

Drum roll, please ....

12. PRECIOUS PORTRAITS AUCTIONED: The family of the late Herb Peck Jr. enlisted the help of law enforcement, other collectors and Military Images magazine in their hunt for 117 photographs taken during a 1978 burglary at their Nashville home. Forty-eight recovered images sold for $292,000 in a March sale. – Read more

11. CROSSING “DEADLINE” MEANT DEATH: The light railing at Andersonville in Georgia was made from posts 3 to 4 feet long and driven into the ground. Horizontal pieces of wood topped the design, which was roughly 18-19 feet inside the stockade wall. Confederate guards in sentry boxes kept a sharp eye for POWs who extended any part of their body past the deadline. – Read more

10. LITTLE ROUND TOP BACK IN BUSINESS: A two-year rehabilitation of the Gettysburg landmark tackled erosion, overwhelmed parking areas, poor accessibility and related safety hazards, and degraded vegetation. This January post ahead of the reopening summarized the major project. – Read more

9. HOW THEY CLEAN ENFIELDS KEPT IN WATER: A team with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources uses a garden hose, small pump, spray nozzle and a wet-dry vacuum to periodically clean and refill a 300-gallon aquarium tank that holds -- of all things -- 18 Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles. The artifacts are awaiting long-term conservation. – Read more

8. VANDALS TRASH KENNESAW MOUNTAIN: Vandals destroyed or damaged six signs, several sections of split-rail fencing and caused minor damage to Civil War earthworks at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in late January. As of this month, no arrests have been made. – Read more

7. Q&A WITH GETTYSBURG SUPERINTENDENT: The Picket asked Kristina Heister (right) about her priorities and initiatives, current and future projects and her ancestors. Many fought in the Civil War and two were at Gettysburg. – Read more

6. GEORGE MEADE’S COOL HEADGEAR: If I ever get around to writing “Cool Hats of the Civil War,” my top choice (spoiler alert!) will go to Union Maj. Gen. George Meade’s slouch hat, followed closely by those of Ambrose E. Burnside and J.E.B. Stuart. There are great images of him with that headgear: In front if his tent; seated among a throng of soldiers, or perched on a bench at the famous Grant "Council of War" at Massaponax Church in Virginia. – Read more

5. FORT FISHER, PART ONE: The staff at the Civil War site near Kure Beach, North Carolina, and contractors engaged in an extraordinary effort this year to recreate three traverses, bombproofs, a magazine and a sally port that were vital parts of the Confederate fort, which fell in furious hand-to-hand combat in January 1865.. – Read more

4. FORT FISHER, PART TWO: This piece previewed the earthworks project mentioned above and the building of a new visitor center, which is just north of the east-west line mounds of earth known as traverses that were part of the defenses. Much of the eastern part of the fort has been claimed by the Atlantic Ocean. – Read more

3. REPLICA GUN FOUND AT WALMART: A Civil War replica revolver (not the real thing, as some news reports claimed) was found in January by a Walmart employee in Gettysburg, Pa., while emptying an outside trash can. It was a real firearm, however. State troopers recently said they still don’t know who left it. – Read more

2. LINGERING MYSTERY OF USS MONITOR: I continue to marvel at the design and engineering skills of those who made the vessel that changed naval warfare in a single battle with the CSS Virginia in March 1862. My recent foray into learning a bit more about the vessel’s circular, ingenious turret – and its supporting braces -- put me back in touch with experts on Monitor about a distinctive maker’s mark found on a brace. Project director Will Hoffman says they still don't know who stamped an "ULSTER" mark on one brace.  – Read more

1. THEY SAVED A CIVIL WAR SURVIVOR: One of just a few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast, this weathered warehouse had survived a controversial fire during the Civil War, hurricanes, economic downturns, Father Time and decades of emptiness. Entrepreneurs Milan and Marion Savic, working with a team of specialists, completed the painstaking restoration of the Adam Strain Building in Darien and turned it into a brewery and event space. They are now working on a museum about the area's history and culture. – Read more

Honorable mentions: This researcher helped obtain Medals of Honor for two soldiers; Wisconsin twins are legendary in reproduction artillery; monument will honor Black hero Robert Smalls. 

A coastal Georgia warehouse survived the 1863 burning of Darien, a scene in the movie 'Glory.' The tabby building fell on hard times, but after a long restoration it's again a center of commerce -- as a brewery

In July 2023 (Picket photo) nearing completion (Marion Savic) and side view (Ethos Preservation)

This is a classic story of standing the test of time. The Adam Strain Building was at a crossroads at the time of a 2011 talk about historic structures along the Darien, Ga., waterfront.

One of just a few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast, the weathered warehouse had survived a controversial fire during the Civil War, hurricanes, economic downturns, Father Time and decades of emptiness. 

A Brunswick News article previewing the event had this prophetic line: “Today the building sits in its solemnity, waiting for an adventurous soul or business to once more give life to the building that would not die.”

Now, nearly five years after they invested a lot of money and heart into the project, entrepreneurs Milan and Marion Savic. working with a team of specialists, have completed the painstaking restoration of the Adam Strain Building and turned it into an aptly named business: Tabby House Brewing Company. The two-story building perched above a waterfront bluff has literally been saved from falling in on itself. And part of its charm is that the venue still shows its age in places, including curved walls.

The main floor of Tabby House Brewing (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The nanobrewery – through word of mouth and social media – had a soft opening November 15. Visitors have posted favorable comments on the beer, food and the building’s features and atmosphere.

A Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting is set for 11 a.m. Dec. 13.

Patrons can sample cocktails and a red ale, “The Altie,” an IPA, “The Double Darien,” and a stout, “The Celtic Cross,” inside the stylish interior or a rooftop patio that overlooks the Darien River. The food menu includes sandwiches, flatbreads and grazing boards. The brewery, working from two tanks, will eventually produce six beers in a rotation. Chef Jack Persinger is handling the brewing and food service.

“We’ve had a great reception,” wrote Marion Savic in an email to the Civil War Picket. ”It’s been a great journey. We have an excellent team, all experts in their respective fields. The building has been restored so people can see what it would have looked like back in the 1800s. We are thrilled with how it turned out and with the support we have received from the community.” (Photo of patio overlooking Darien River by Joe Kasper)

I have written about the daunting project since April 2020 and I paid a visit to the circa 1815 building to check the work on a sultry day in early July 2023.

The commerce building’s connection to the Federal burning of Darien in 1863 first drew me to its story. My current interest is a museum the Savics hope to open by February. They are currently devising exhibits for the second floor, which includes an event space.

“The museum will house a rotating display of our artifact finds and some things that have been given to us from locals,” Savic said. “We also have a few things that were found in the building. There are old newspapers from the Darien News and we’ll have a couple of those scanned and framed.”

Scenes of the Adam Strain interior and roof in 2020 (Courtesy Landmark Preservation)

The aim is to spotlight the Georgia town’s rich maritime history – from rice, cotton and lumber to fishing and shrimping, architecture and stories from local people.

Savic told the Picket last year they want to present it in an inclusive way. Some have suggested mention of Gullah-Geechee culture and history passed down by descendants of enslaved people who for years were the backbone of the Darien economy.

“It certainly would be asset to the Darien waterfront section to have a museum focused on the 19^th century maritime history of the town,” said Buddy Sullivan, a coastal Georgia historian and author. “Something like that has long been needed.”

The venue now is a financial and cultural anchor in the small downtown.

"Considered a public safety hazard at project outset, the resolve to stabilize the building and preserve as much historic material as possible was not an easy endeavor but rather one that took extra thought and creative solutions from experts and dedicated craftsmen," said Rebecca Fenwick of Ethos Preservation, one of several firms that worked with the Savics.

"Historic buildings are community assets that contribute significantly to sense of place and serve as storytellers of the past. Without them, a place's history becomes less tangible and authenticity is lost. The Strain Building project embodies these values and, collectively, we all benefit," Fenwick wrote in an email.

Infamous burning of town earned scene in 'Glory'

The Strain has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small, interior port city above St. Simons Island for more than two centuries. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Scene from "Glory" shows troops arriving in Darien in June 1863.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells, lime and other materials and was popular in Georgia and Florida for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco was placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

The warehouse was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast during the Civil War. The downtown area was a much busier place than it is today, though the Strain and other projects signal a small, but growing resurgence.

In June 1863, Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, (left) commanding the African-American 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

He had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins. The destruction was depicted in the award-winning 1989 film "Glory."

Steven Smith, site manager for nearby Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket first wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

After most townspeople had fled, Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The Strain survived the fire but much of its interior was destroyed. The episode caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North.

Bullet made for Enfield rifle was found along bluff

Civil War bullet found during archaeological dig (Courtesy Marion Savic)

Among the items found by an archaeological team in 2020 was a Civil War-era bullet -- likely an Enfield round. The team found it on the bluff, Savic told the Picket. The so-called Pritchett bullet was used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. The rifle was used by both sides during the conflict, and the Confederacy imported thousands from England.

It’s not known how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. The building did not come to be named for businessman Adam Strain – a Civil War veteran of the 5^th Georgia Cavalry -- until after the conflict.

Another find during the project were Savannah grey bricks behind the walls of a small building that adjoins the Strain. It had been used as a bank and law offices following the Civil War and now houses the business' kitchen, bathrooms and brewery.

The rear of the former bank building, which adjoins the Strain (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savics turned to the Savannah-based Coastal Heritage Society to catalog the numerous artifacts found during the work. A 2021 report listed hundreds of items.

“Much of the research that was successfully carried out at the Strain Site was unantici­pated, to say the least,” said a report. “Evidence of prehistoric occupations, some dating 5000 years to the Late Archaic Period is found throughout the site.”

Over the years, the Strain was used for a variety of purposes, including a ship's chandlery, a pharmacy, and a mercantile (hardware) business, the last of which was as a clothing manufacturer or storage site, according to the report. At some point over the years, it was used to store antiques and house or produce shoes. 

Fenwick, with Ethos Preservation, said the restoration offers a visual representation to visitors of Darien's life in the 19th century.'

"Evidence of the building's craftsmanship, to include brick lintels embedded in the tabby above door and window openings and even the buttresses added to the west elevation to prevent earlier decay, are significant and worthy of celebration," she said. 

(Example of tabby in the building, Picket photo, and supports used to stabilize the west wall, courtesy Marion Savic)

Missy Brandt Wilson, who grew up in Darien and still owns a home there, has long supported the revitalization of the Strain building. She loves how an old pulley has been retained.

“I went into the building before restoration and now I can actually see how the warehouse worked on the Darien riverfront,” the Athens, Ga., resident said.

New life after sitting empty for about 55 years

The Strain Building survived the 1863 flames, was repaired after the Civil War and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II. It then sat empty for about 50 or so years, said Savic.

Downtown has grown since this view of the Strain (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

The structure, perhaps the oldest surviving in Darien, was beloved by its 2,000 residents, who worried for its future as its appearance worsened. The years rolled on. The building’s condition had become so precarious by 2008 that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its "Places in Peril" list.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property in January 2020. Local residents were integral in the effort to save the Strain, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Two hundred-plus years had done its damage. A wall had a pronounced lean, the back wall facing the river was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability. The building was at risk of being toppled by strong winds.

In the 1920s, five years ago and a few weeks ago (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Atlanta-area couple turned to an array of contracted historic preservation experts to shore up the building and create something new, and also pursuing innovative tax credits. The work often had to break for permits, updated engineering plans and supplies. (The Savics have kept the leaning wall to emphasize its story and durability.)

Research and close attention to what the old building had to say has paid off. Fenwick said missing elements were discovered during construction, including a central warehouse style opening on the front façade. That was restored during the project.

The Strain Building has become a good example of how the historic tax incentives in Georgia make such projects possible, said Fenwick.

“A combined 45% back on rehabilitation expenses from state and federal credits plus a 8-year tax freeze alleviated some of the cost associated with a project that had a significant financial burden. Structural costs for stabilization alone were substantial. Labor of love is fitting.”

Upstairs area will feature event space and museum, note figures on back left wall (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savic family operates a nearby modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. They also have operated businesses in Marietta, near Atlanta.

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in plans to boost the small downtown district.

Darien, hit hard by the economic slowdown about 15 years ago, wants to attract more retirees who live along coastal Georgia and motorists who get off Interstate 95 to take in history, the small shrimping fleet and the natural beauty of the area.

Ben Sutton, director of preservation for the Georgia Trust, told the Picket the Strain Building is significant due to its age, size and method of construction.

“The Savics have been strong supporters of the Georgia Trust, so we are even more excited that the project has been done by such good friends. It is a fantastic example of reimagining a use for a historic building -- and just goes to show that a building is rarely too far gone to be brought back into useful service,” he said.

After many years, she feels good about Strain's future

I spoke this week by phone with Joe Kasper, a home builder and carpenter who showed me around during my 2023 visit to Darien. He did wood work at the Strain for Savannah contractor Landmark Preservation, and found the restoration to be challenging and rewarding.

About 75 percent of the wood – mostly Southern yellow pine – is original. Two sets of stairs he built had to be customized because of the age of the building. “Because the building is not level, I made it work with the building.” He said that was among the most enjoyable of his tasks. (Photo courtesy Joe Kasper)

And there were other challenges. “All the walls are bowed out, out of plumb and they just changed from foot to foot,” he said.

The crews made the Strain stable by building an interior steel frame, reinforcing the walls and using rods and stars to strengthen the structure. Crews paid as much attention to detail as possibly, including taking apart the main floor and reassembling it for a modern finish.

They were able to retain much of the original tabby but some eroded areas were reworked with new oyster shell and material, Kasper said.

Fenwick said historic material was salvaged whenever possible, including framing, flooring, ceiling boards, tabby, trusses and other details such as a mural painted on plaster and a hoist system on the second floor.

"Additionally, in order for the building's structural system to be successful, additional tie rods were installed, in keeping with those visible on the exterior at the start of the project. This is a great example of the addition of new elements designed to be harmonious with the historic building."

The rear of the Strain in 2020 (Landmark Preservation and post-restoration (Ethos Preservation)

Tabby House Brewing features a ground-floor brick patio in the back and a patio deck upstairs. Both command a view of the Darien River, which connects the city to the Atlantic Ocean and the world.

Wilson, former chairman of the McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission, told me several years ago she used to pray over the building before the Savics stepped in.

“I hope it’s the economic engine the vast economic reports have predicted if it was restored,” she said recently. “I can honestly say for the first time since I’ve been a child in Darien, I can drive by the building and not hold my breath waiting for something bad to happen. It’s lovely seeing the people who said there was no hope to see hope happen.”  

Tabby House Brewing Company is at 111 Broad St. in Darien. Click here for hours and more.

Saving a Civil War survivor: Restoration crews are pouring TLC and talents into the Adam Strain building in coastal Darien, Ga.

Views of the work late last month (Marion Savic photo left, others Civil War Picket)

Joe Kasper used to build custom houses in Vermont. There was just one problem: He didn’t like building them in winter. Kasper moved south a few years back, trading the chilly weather for milder temperatures in Bluffton, S.C. – a fast-growing city between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Ga.

Of course, living on the Southern Atlantic coast brought the requisite heat and humidity, especially when you toil outside or in unairconditioned places.

Kasper was dealing with both when my wife and I recently stopped by Darien, Ga., late one morning to check on the extensive restoration of the Adam Strain Building -- a tabby structure that survived the controversial burning of the Georgia town during the Civil War.

The Strain, damaged in the fire, has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small port city since circa 1813-1815. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Revitalizing the Strain is a labor of love for Milan and Marion Savic, whose family operates a modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. The couple has spent three years and no small amount of money to save and restore the building, which was long vacant and in real danger of collapse.

For Kasper, 63, (right) and others working for Savannah-based Landmark Preservation, restoring the Strain and an adjoining one-story building is a labor of pure craftsmanship and sweat equity. The work is being supported by Ethos Preservation in Savannah.

Two hundred-plus years had done its work on the two-story building. A wall has a pronounced lean, the back wall facing a creek was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability – all of that has been addressed and crews are currently working on rebuilding the back wall.

The 19^th century Strain’s builders had their own skills, using quality mortise and tenon joints and iron rods.

“They knew what they were doing,” said Kasper.

The Savics are planning a nanobrewery, food service, event space, rooftop patio and an upstairs museum about the town’s rich history and culture. Dozens of artifacts found during the work, including a Civil War-era bullet, will be on display, Marion Savic says. The couple hope doors open for business in early 2024.

Crews early on stabilized the structure by shoring up the walls and installing tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque and beloved landmark. They then put in a steel membrane of columns and beams to add further support and will put in an elevator.

Kasper specializes in wood work and framing and a lot of that was going in when we stopped. Where they can, he and carpenter Graham Johnston are reusing the Strain’s old yellow pine. But, as they say, when you use old materials you have just one chance of getting it right.

“It has its challenges,” Johnston says of the work. “Nothing is as straightforward as you think it.”

Besides its compelling exterior profile, the Strain’s most fascinating draw is its use of tabby and stucco. The Adam Strain is one of few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast and it was used throughout the structure, including with bricks.

All the elements in the interior: Brick, tabby and wood (Picket photo)

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and other ingredients and was popular in the region for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water and other damage.

“Tabby buildings are different. You can’t just drill holes through it,” says Kasper, whose work in Georgia includes the Atlanta Preservation Center and Savannah City Hall.

As Kasper explains it, the covering of tabby involves tossing a ball of lime on a, interior wall and smoothing it with a trowel. “I learned it when I came down here,” says the builder, whose son is three-time Olympic alpine skier Nolan Kasper.

The removal of the back wall yielded piles of tabby in the back of the building (right) that will be reused when the new wall goes up.

I first wrote about the effort to save the commercial building in April 2020. This was the first time I have visited, and I found the building, materials and construction techniques then and now to be fascinating.

The Strain building was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast. Darien’s destruction in 1863 by black troops, under orders from a virulently anti-slavery white officer, caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North. 

Those favoring emancipation were split on whether the act was barbarity or a necessary message. (The burning of Darien was made famous in the 1989 film “Glory.”)

The Strain building survived the flames and was repaired after the war and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property. Local residents were integral in the effort, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Part of the building looks like a cocoon beneath steel supports (Picket photo)

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in any plans to boost the small downtown district, which has enjoyed somewhat of a resurgence.

Missy Brandt Wilson, a Darien native who owns a home there, while now living in Athens, Ga., said she expects the Strain will be an economic engine for the area. “We need it.”

And coastal Georgia historian and author Buddy Sullivan tells me he has consulted with the Savics about the museum and says Darien is “relying on tourism and visitation for its economic survival and what the Savics are doing with the Strain, as well as their continuing interest in our local culture, is the best thing that has happened to us here in a very long time.”

I asked Marion Savic for an update on the restoration (old support star bolt at left). Her responses have been edited:

Q. Can you confirm how the buildings will be used?

A. The one-story will house all the operational equipment and rooms -- brewing, kitchen, bathrooms, lift, etc. The Adam Strain first floor will be the brewery with a bar, seating inside and outside on the back bluff patio. The brewery will offer a limited menu. The second floor will house a nonprofit museum. 

Q. Do you have a brewer lined up yet? What style of beers might you provide and how many can the space seat?

A. We do have a person lined up to do the brewing, but I do not know the types of beers yet. He is not a brew master, but has experience working for a brewery and with brewing. It will be a nanobrewery, so a small operation that will be complemented with a selection of locally crafted beer. We haven’t worked out the seating count yet. The space inside is about 1,300 square feet.

Q. What kind of menu do you expect for the restaurant? Lunch and dinner?

A. It will be a limited bar menu with small bites, salads and artisan sandwiches. Our daughter-in-law, Chef Megan Savic from The Canopy restaurant, will be crafting the menu. (Milan and Marion Savic also own the Local Exchange market in downtown Darien, not far from the Adam Strain).

One of several blueprints to guide restoration crews inside the Strain (Picket photo)

Q. Do you have a color scheme picked out for the Strain exterior? And for the bank building?

A. We are in the early phases of discussing the finish of the Adam Strain. I don’t have a name for the color yet. It will be an historic finish and one that we have found while removing layers during the restoration. 

Q. When are your anticipated openings for the brewery, restaurant, museum and event space?

A. We are hoping to complete the restoration by the end of the year and anticipate opening the brewery in early 2024.

Q. My understanding is the interior of the Strain will have daubing lime over the tabby. The outside of the building will be stucco. Is that right?

A. The tabby inside and out will be covered with the traditional stucco.

Q. I noticed the back wall is being fully reconstructed and the old tabby now in piles will be reapplied. I knew that was a concern going in.

A. They knew the back wall would have to be taken down and rebuilt. It was the most damaged and failing section of the whole structure due to severe structural cracking. We hate to ever have to take down anything, but there was no option and it was the only way to save the building. It has taken a lot of time to take down and rebuild, which adds to the overall duration of the project.

Q. I Also noticed the west wall has a lean (right) from all the years. Will patrons see that lean, how did you rectify the stability?

A. The lean will stay and everyone will see it if they look. They will jack the buildings a few millimeters and then tighten the rods, but it won’t be a noticeable difference relevant to the outward leaning of the wall.

The building is fully supported by the steel membrane structure of columns, beams, and rods throughout.  

Q. Joe pointed out a grain hoist in the roof area. Have you learned anything about that and when it was used? I knew the building was a cotton warehouse around the time of the Civil War. Was this an additional service?

A. We don’t have information yet on the hoist -- there is an open area in the floor under it so we assume that material was hoisted up to the second floor. The building would have been used as a warehouse, ship’s chandlery, mercantile, etc. Because of the two fires, specific information has been hard to find.

Q. Can you tell us a little more about the planned upstairs museum?

A. The museum will be the history of Darien - Commerce from rice, cotton, and lumber to fishing/shrimping, Architecture, Burning of Darien, Adam Strain finds and stories from local people -- presented in an inclusive way.

The Strain is at the end (right) of a string of businesses (Picket photo)

Q. Finally, what are your thoughts on the Adam Strain at this point, given the complexity of the project? How will it directly contribute to the city?

A. We’re very excited about the restoration and also entering the last six months of the project. We think it will be an incredible and priceless addition to the waterfront and city of Darien. It’s one of the oldest commercial tabby buildings left standing in Georgia and one of two buildings to survive the burning of Darien. We believe the finished project will attract visitors and history buffs from all over the country. 

Patrons will get this rooftop view of bridge and creek below (Picket photo)