Zachariah Daniel House, circa 1875 – Augusta
Augusta, GA – Richmond County – Looking at this beautiful mansion, can you believe it was condemned a few years ago and faced demolition? It’s always fun to report a preservation success story, and the Zachariah Daniel House is certainly a success story! We have to thank Historic Augusta for their efforts that led to this one being saved.
Built around 1875 in the Second Empire style, this mansion was originally home to the Reuben Wilson family. Homes of this style often had what we’d think of as a Victorian Interior. LOTS of decoration going on throughout this style of home. The photo below is restrained compared to some I’ve seen!
Wilson was a successful grocer in Augusta. Grocery stores looked much different back in the day.
Zachariah Daniel bought the house around 1890. Interestingly, he too was a successful grocer in Augusta! Daniel and his wife lived in this 6,300 sq ft mansion for over 20 years. They needed this size house, as they had 10 (yes, 10!) children! Greene Street was THE street to live on at this time – many of the most influential and affluent families lived here.
Daniel owned the home for over 20 years. From that point, it went through a succession of owners….and the condition of the house deteriorated. This 1980 photo of the Zachariah Daniel House below – if you look closely, you can see the windows are out on the 3rd floor.
Zachariah Daniel House, Condemned
Things continued to go downhill for the house. While the outside didn’t look too bad, there was SO MUCH water damage inside this once grand home. Then the City of Augusta condemned the house, and it was facing a very uncertain future. Often these situations end up in a house being demolished. Historic Augusta listed the house in their annual Endangered Properties List. The clock was ticking.
A buyer was found for the Zachariah Daniel House, and they went about a very sensitive restoration of this faded beauty. The house now has a second lease on life after being converted to 10 income producing units! This year, this grand home won an Excellence in Rehabilitation Award from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Here are some of the “After” photos.
One last look at this grand home.
Thanks so much for reading the blog, I appreciate it!