'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.

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)

Numerous historic artifacts have been found during restoration of Georgia coastal building that survived burning in 1863, as shown in movie 'Glory'

Ceiling rafters and joists will be repaired, left exposed (Photos, Marion Savic)

You’ve got to be willing to play the long game – and the expenses that come with it – when trying to fix up a 200-year-old building that was close to collapsing in a cloud of dust.

Milan and Marion Savic and a team of preservation experts are in second and final phase of the extensive restoration of the Adam Strain building, a tabby structure that survived the controversial burning of Darien, Ga., during the Civil War.

The Strain, damaged in the fire, has stood on the bluffs of the small port city since circa 1813. The Savics hope new businesses – a brewery and event space -- will be open by mid-2023.

Crews stabilized the structure by shoring up the walls and installing tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque landmark. They more recently have focused on steel support columns as they move toward shaping the interior space.

Interior of annex building next to Strain

“We have found a great deal of historic artifacts while digging for the footers. Everything is at the archaeology lab at Coastal Georgia Historical Society on St. Simons Island,” Marion Savic wrote in a recent email. “They are processing and dating all the finds. We have found items from Native American periods, 18th century and 19th century.”

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 a bluff that overlooks water, 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 too early to surmise how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. 

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

By summer 1863, coastal towns knew that where the Union army was going, emancipation of slaves was soon to follow. That fact permeated society in Darien. Most of the town’s 500 white souls had fled before June 11, frightened by the blockade and the deployment of African-American troops on nearby St. Simons Island.

On that day, Darien was largely vacant.

Civil War bullet found during 2020 archaeological dig (Marion Savic)

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

He apparently 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.”

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 Adam Strain building before stabilization work began in 2020

It was repaired and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II and then shuttered. 

The Picket first wrote in 2020 about the efforts to save the building after decades of deterioration. At one point before the Savics’ purchase, it appeared the beloved piece of history might be demolished. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the structure, one of the oldest in Darien, is beloved by its 2,000 residents.

The Savics, who have experience in operating retail businesses in metro Atlanta, turned to an array of contracted historic preservation experts to bring back a building that was at risk of being toppled by strong winds. The work has often had to break for permits, updated engineering plans and supplies. A Facebook page keeps those interested up to date.

“Covid didn’t help with material prices and availability. It slowed it down more than we had anticipated. The building was also in worse shape that we all had thought, though that wasn’t a surprise,” says Marion Savic. “We expected the worst, so not a lot of surprises, but definitely some delays and unusual situations regarding the procurement of materials.”

Steel support pit showed evidence of fire (Marion Savic)

The Adam Strain is one of few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells 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 damage.

Contractors are installing a steel membrane of columns and beams to support the walls.

“There will be tabby loss when we begin to straighten and tighten up the steel membrane. The worst spot is on the back facing west facade. Landmark Preservation is our contractor and they are tabby experts, so all tabby will be reused if possible and they will make tabby to replace lost areas,” says Savic. “The entire building will be tabby, either original or rebuilt, covered with stucco as it is meant to be.”

The Adam Strain will house a brewery on the first floor and a history center/museum and event space on the second. A one-story adjoining building, which housed a bank and other businesses, will house a kitchen, brewing equipment, bathrooms, office and storage.

The museum will include artifacts and information from the archaeological dig. It  will convey the Strain’s and Darien’s history -- including shrimping, timber and the story of thousands of enslaved people who were the backbone of the economy in McIntosh and neighboring counties. (At left, these bottles were found beneath floorboards)

The Savics, from Marietta, Ga., want the Strain building to meet requirements for the National Register of Historic Places and they are pursuing economic incentives, including federal and state tax credits, available for such preservation. The property is a contributing resource to the West Darien National Register Historic District, which was listed in 2001.

According to Rebecca Fenwick with Ethos Preservation, which is working for the Savics on the project, property owners at the state level can receive a 25% historic tax credit and an eight-year year tax freeze. At the federal level, the property owners can receive a 20% historic tax credit.

“Tax credits can be taken against hard and soft costs, to include work on walls, windows, doors, floors, etc. Soft costs that are eligible include architect's fees, engineer's fees, contractor labor, etc.,” says Fenwick. “Of course, there are some strings attached, as all work proposed must be reviewed and meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.”

“The incentives acknowledge that historic rehabilitation projects often cost more than other projects and that historic buildings help tell our collective story and improve the quality of life of Georgians. Projects are made possible by these incentives that might not otherwise have the necessary funding to proceed,” Fenwick says. 

“I think the most interesting finds have been the discovery of additional masonry openings (windows and doors), with the removal of interior wall cladding," she says.

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 a resurgence in recent years.

A new boutique hotel on the river is scheduled to open this fall and there is new housing in the area. Savic’s husband, son and daughter-in-law opened The Canopy Restaurant in the historic Emanuel Brown house in Darien. Marion Savic also cites plans for downtown streetscaping and plans for repaired and expanded docks.

“Everyone is very excited for the completion of the project, and we hope that things will keep moving along,” she says.