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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| 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 19th 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.
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| 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 54th 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
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| 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 5th 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.”
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| 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."
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| 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.
