|
The Present… Today Orange Hall remains the signature building of the St. Marys cityscape. It welcomes visitors to the community and continues to elicit wonder and inquiry much as it did when first constructed. The style and scale of the building remain unprecedented in the area. Many who visit are passing by on their way to St. Marys’ historic waterfront or beyond to the Cumberland Island National Seashore as Orange Hall has not yet become a destination. From the street, the building appears in relatively good condition, however, below the surface, processes are at work that are undermining the building’s historic materials. Issues such as the lack of a rain water distribution system and the associated rising damp that has deteriorated the masonry foundation, structural deficiencies and rot are all occurring within the nearly one hundred and seventy year old structure. |
 |
 |
The original
plan remains
relatively
intact; however
the finishes and
furnishings of
the interior are
not
representative
of the historic
condition and
therefore
present a false
sense of the
past.
A lack of
information
about the
history of the
property has
contributed to
an interpretive
program that is
narrow and
un-engaging.
The building
systems do not
adequately
service the
structure and in
some cases are
in critical need
of repair.
The landscape
has been ravaged
by time, storms
and modern
intrusions and
the specimen
sour Orange
trees that
originally
bordered the
property are no
longer extant.
The Orange Hall
Foundation
recently funded
the development
of a Historic
Structure Report
(HSR) as a
critical first
step in planning
the future of
Orange Hall.
The
document
provides a
comprehensive
record of the
building’s
history, its
current
condition and
charts a course
for its
restoration and
interpretation.
|
|
Building Facts |
|