Lamar Building

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources:  –  ·  ·  · scholar · JSTOR (July 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Lamar Building
The Lamar Building on Broad Street in Downtown Augusta.
General information
Type	office
Location	753 Broad Street, Augusta, Georgia
Completed	1918
Owner	Pace Burt
Height
Roof	238 ft (72.5 m)
Technical details
Floor count	17
Lifts/elevators	3
Design and construction
Architect	I.M. Pei & Partners; G. Lloyd Preacher; William Lee Stoddart
Website
www.thelamarbuilding.com
Lamar Building
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Show map of GeorgiaShow map of the United StatesShow all
Location	753 Broad St., Augusta, Georgia
Coordinates	33°28′31″N 81°57′54″W / 33.47528°N 81.96500°W / 33.47528; -81.96500Coordinates: 33°28′31″N 81°57′54″W / 33.47528°N 81.96500°W / 33.47528; -81.96500
Area	0.35 acres (0.1 ha)
Built	1913
Architect	G. Lloyd Preacher, W.L. Stoddard
NRHP reference No.	79000744[1]
Added to NRHP	April 24, 1979

The Lamar Building is a 17-story skyscraper in Augusta, Georgia. It was scheduled to be completed in 1916, but the Augusta Fire of 1916 forced crews to demolish the building and restart. It was finally completed in 1918. A penthouse level was added in 1976, designed by I. M. Pei. In July 2011, the architectural critic James Howard Kunstler labeled it his "Eyesore of the Month", saying the addition is reminiscent of a Darth Vader helmet.^[2]

Pei's addition presaged the glass pyramid he designed for The Louvre in Paris.^[3]

The building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. Fire Insurance maps indicate a height of 165' (50 m) to the top of the roof at the 16th floor, just beneath the penthouse addition.

It was the tallest building in Augusta ever since it was built. The Marion Building stands next to the Lamar Building and has been called its "sister building".^[4]

The Lamar Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

Restoration Efforts[]

After sitting vacant for many years, the building was sold in June 2021 to Albany, GA based developer, Pace Burt.

Burt, who has worked multiple other historic renovation projects in the Southeast, has released plans for the building to be converted into a high end multi-family development with just under 70 units. ^[5]

The renovation project kicked off in the Summer of 2021 and is expected to be completed in Winter 2022/Spring 2023.

References[]