The National Trust for Historic Preservation Thursday night presented its Preservation Honor Award to the Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Co-recipients are SCAD Museum of Art; Savannah College of Art and Design; and Sottile & Sottile and Lord Aeck & Sargent Architects in association with Dawson Architects.
The project was one of 17 award winners recognized during the Richard H. Driehaus National Preservation Awards ceremony held at the Lucas Theatre as part the 2014 Past Forward National Preservation Conference being held in Savannah this week.
The Walter O. Evans Center for African American Studies is a multidisciplinary center dedicated to the presentation, study and understanding of and respect for African-American culture, art and literature.
It is home to the Walter O. Evans collection, one of the largest collections of African-American art in the United States, and has been described as the heart of the SCAD Museum of Art.
The 82,000-square-foot museum, which opened in 2011, was built within the crumbling envelope of an 1853 railroad depot behind SCAD’s existing museum in an 1856 Greek Revival building on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard that was once the headquarters for the Central of Georgia Railway.
“While each is unique, this year’s outstanding Honor Award winners all reflect the importance of protecting our nation’s cultural heritage,” said Stephanie Meeks, president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. “Whether it’s the restoration of a center for African American studies in Savannah or the preservation of the iconic Green Mountain Lookout in Washington state, this year’s Honor Award winners demonstrate how saving places is bolstering local economies and helping preserve the unique fabric of communities throughout the country.”
Winners of the National Preservation Awards will appear online at www.PreservationNation.org/awards.