Mansion reopens for public tours
The Old Governor's Mansion reopened February 25 after more than three years of renovation.
The mansion has been reconstructed to appear as it did when it housed Governor Howell Cobb in 1851.
Junior Ryan Burkhart, tour guide for the OGM, said the mansion is very authentic to how it was in 1851.
"They chose that year because they had a very large inventory for the building. Everything was documented in the building, like where it was and how things looked, so we had the most information on what everything looked like then," Burkhart said.
Renovators used nineteenth century antiques and replicas from the nineteenth century to recreate the mansion in the year 1851, Burkhart said.
"If it wasn't made in the nineteenth century, it's not in this house. Every piece in this house is either an antique or a very good reproduction of one. We have a lot of pieces in the house that actually belonged to the governors," Burkhart said.
Much attention was given to details to strengthen the authenticity of the renovations, Burkhart said.
"We also did paint analysis," Burkhart said. "We ripped back layers of paint so we could get back to the original layer. Then we would take it to a paint analysis so we could determine what color the paint was. So I'm pretty sure we have all the right colors."
The restoration was funded by the Georgia General Assembly and the Woodruff Foundation, with donations of $9 million and $1.5 million respectively, Burkhart said.
Matthew S. Davis, Assistant Curator of Education, said that since the reopening, the Old Governor's Mansion has remained busy with tours.
"It has been extremely successful and very well received," said Davis.
People from all over the world have also come for tours, Burkhart said.
"Our target audience is a lot older, a lot of senior citizens. A lot of people that come through the house are actually ladies that went to the college when it was a women's college and know what it was like," said Burkhart. "We have had people from Ontario, Canada, and we have had people from England that are just touring the south and have heard about us."
The Old Governor's Mansion was built in 1839 and housed eight Georgia governors until 1868. The mansion became a part of Georgia College & State University in 1889.
"This is the founding building of the school and the first dormitories were in this house," Davis said.
The mansion served as a historic house museum in the 1990s, but the decision was made in 2001 that renovations needed to take place, Davis said.
"By the late 1990s, all the systems were in a state of decay and a lot of the structural elements of the house were in bad shape. The decision was made to do extensive research to bring this house back to its 1851 appearance," Davis said. "When this was a historic house museum it was rather modern looking, so to interpret it that way was rather problematic. Also, the system problems in the house really needed to be worked on."
Junior Daniel Rowland took a tour of the mansion and said the results of the renovation are commendable.
"The restoration of the governor's mansion was phenomenal. I have visited many historic houses and the mansion's quality is above and beyond most of them," said Rowland. "The tour is way better than afternoon TV, so if you have an afternoon to kill, the mansion is a great place to go. If you're into history or architecture it is a must see."
Tours are held Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours start on the hour and last approximately 50 minutes. The Old Governor's Mansion is located on South Clarke Street across from Chick-Fil-A. For more information call (478) 445-4545.
"This is the founding building of the school and the first dormitories were in this house," Davis said.
The mansion served as a historic house museum in the 1990s, but the decision was made in 2001 that renovations needed to take place, Davis said.
"By the late 1990s, all the systems were in a state of decay and a lot of the structural elements of the house were in bad shape. The decision was made to do extensive research to bring this house back to its 1851 appearance," Davis said. "When this was a historic house museum it was rather modern looking, so to interpret it that way was rather problematic. Also, the system problems in the house really needed to be worked on."
Junior Daniel Rowland took a tour of the mansion and said the results of the renovation are commendable.
"The restoration of the governor's mansion was phenomenal. I have visited many historic houses and the mansion's quality is above and beyond most of them," said Rowland. "The tour is way better than afternoon TV, so if you have an afternoon to kill, the mansion is a great place to go. If you're into history or architecture it is a must see."
Tours are held Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. and Sunday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tours start on the hour and last approximately 50 minutes. The Old Governor's Mansion is located on South Clarke Street across from Chick-Fil-A. For more information call (478) 445-4545.
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