Local BBQ joint ranked fourth in U.S.
TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel site, has announced Georgia as the top state in the U.S. for barbecue, and the site’s users ranked Wiley’s Championship BBQ in Savannah, 4700 Highway 80 East, as the fourth best barbecue restaurant in the nation.
Georgia finished ahead of Texas and North Carolina, and Wiley’s Championship BBQ scored 4.5 on TripAdvisor’s five-bubble ratings scale with more than 790 customer reviews. The restaurant, opened in 2008 by Wiley and Janet McCrary, is known for its low-and-slow cooked meats, including pulled pork, St. Louis-cut ribs and brisket.
“I’ve always said that our customers are the ultimate barbecue judges,” said Wiley.
Over the Memorial Day weekend, Wiley’s also won a taste test held by Headline News’ Weekend Express in Atlanta against Black’s Barbecue from Lockhart, Texas, and Skylight Inn Barbecue out of Ayden, N.C.
Savannah architecture firm recognized
The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has recognized Greenline Architecture’s renovation of Tift, Lewis and Herring Halls at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College as among the best of preservation in Georgia.
Tift, Lewis and Herring Halls form the college’s Sweetheart Circle, a common design motif during the early 20th century consisting of three buildings at one side of a grand front lawn.
The rehabilitation project began in 2008 and involved work to repair water damage, replace windows with historically appropriate designs and allow for upgraded mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.
Local project partners included J.T. Turner Construction, Dulohery Weeks, Alan Glassberg and Coastal Civil Engineering.
B&D Burgers receives preservation award
B&D Burgers in Savannah’s Historic District has received an award for excellence in rehabilitation from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
Excellence in Rehabilitation awards recognize projects that make compatible use of a building through repair, alterations or additions while preserving features of the property that convey its historic value.
Since its construction in 1855, the building at 209 W. Congress St. has housed a variety of commercial ventures including a grocer, a restaurant supply store and, most recently, a printing company.
B&D Burgers bought the property in 2011, and the firm’s architects worked with the Historic Savannah Foundation, the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the Georgia Historic Preservation Division to take advantage of state and federal historic preservation tax credit programs.
The brick façade was repointed and repaired, interior trim and finishes were recreated from historic images and the large skylight in the center of the building was replaced in kind.