How many times over the past several years have we driven past the little tabby building sitting under overgrown foliage off US17 at the foot of the F.J. Torras Causeway and marveled at its charm, despite the dilapidation? Most of us have probably thought “It’s such a shame that isn’t used for something,” and many have wondered about its history. Thanks to community efforts now a bright light is shining (quite literally) on this beautiful building and its history.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Miriam Lancaster explains preservation efforts.
Built as a joint effort of the Brunswick Board of Trade and Sea Island Company and completed in 1931, The Visitors Club was intended to greet visitors traveling south to Florida on US 17. According to Brian Brown’s account on Vanishing Georgia, it was originally advertised as “Brunswick’s Greeting to Vacationists-Georgia’s Gateway to the Road to Romance and Recreation.” Visitors were greeted in the large lounge with complimentary refreshments and encouraged to stay and see all the Golden Isles had to offer from the beaches and history to ample fishing and hunting. Young architect Francis Abreu was commissioned to design the building. If the Spanish Colonial style looks familiar, it may be because Abreu collaborated with Addison Mizner on the original Cloister Hotel. Abreu also designed the original Casino building and Lord of Life Lutheran Church on St. Simons, the Federal Building on Gloucester Street in Brunswick as well as private homes there and on Sea Island.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Although ownership of the Visitors Club was transferred to the Georgia Department of Transportation in 1981, the building was used as a welcome center until 2012. After several years of disuse, the local landmark fell into disrepair. To regain control of the property, the City of Brunswick entered into a 50 year no-cost lease with the Georgia DOT in July 2019. It was Miriam Lancaster, Pat Featherstone, and Sandy Colhard who established The Visitors Club Preservation Fund through the Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation and were assessing the feasibility of restoring the building to use. According to Michael Torras, they discovered that the funds necessary and property use restrictions could prove to be insurmountable hurdles, but the building itself was in relatively good condition and would benefit from some care and attention.
Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Visitors Club Preservation Team
Sandy Colhard, Michael Torras, Pat Featherstone, and Miriam Lancaster
Among the many hats that Michael Torras wears, he is a commissioner on the Islands Planning Commission and a Board Member at the Brunswick Downtown Development Authority. It was late last year that he learned the abandoned and unsecure state of the building was attracting use by homeless and transient people. Concerned that damage could occur that would result in the state stepping in to demolish the property, Michael asked City Manager Regina McDuffie if he could get access to the building to check its condition and secure it. He was put in touch with the trio of women already involved and suggested that they all work together with the focus of preserving the building as a landmark. And what a wonderful and wild ride it has been since then!
Michael says, “When the ladies explained to me that funds to accomplish renovations were limited, I told them we needed to reach out to businesses and members of the community to contribute. I first reached out to Brice Brock of The Vine, who is on the Planning Commission with me. She immediately agreed to contribute and was excited to do so. I thought, ‘Well, that was easy!’ We made a list of all the things that need to be done to secure and clean up the property and I started making calls. I think every one of the people and businesses I contacted said yes, they’d be glad to do whatever they could to help with the preservation.”
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Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
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Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
Michael Torras showing off the Visitors Club
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Elegant Island Living/Annaliese Kondo
In addition to the terrific trio, Michael and The Torras Foundation, there are currently nearly 40 contractors and businesses who have donated their time and services, will be participating in future work, or have committed to provide services or assistance. That is amazing! Architectural and construction services, inspection, repairs, hardware and building supplies, plus specialty services like handrails, weather vane, etc. are being covered by Charles Day Design, Lang Building Supply, American Roofing, Nash Contractors, Vaughn Home Builders, Torras Properties, Island Painting, Mark Drury, Unique Moldings and Doors, Central Hardware, Webster Tile, and Master Blaster. Electric work and lighting, from fixtures to landscape, and signage are being provided by Coffey Electric, White Star Supply, Full Moon Lighting, Nitro Signs, and Signarama. The cleaning and landscape type services that are well underway includes work done and commitments from SEC Pressure Washing, Clearview Services, A&W Tree Service, Tiner Stump Grinding, Chans Pine Straw, US Lawn, The Vine, Sea Island, Site One Landscape Supply, Molina’s, Shupe Surveying, Woodrow Sapp Well Drilling, and Yates-Astro Termite & Pest Control. Thanks can even be given to Lance Sabbe of Forward Brunswick, the Hart family of Island ACE Hardware/ACE Garden Center, Chris McDougald of Coastal Christmas Lighting Company, and members of the Magnolia Garden Club for bringing the property to life with Christmas spirit and lights over the holidays. The photos here were taken when members of the team got together to put up the tree, and we couldn’t be more proud of the work that they are accomplishing!
A special part of this for Michael is that he has located and connected descendants of architect Frances Abreu and they too would like to be involved. Because the causeway opened less than a decade before the Visitors Center was built, there’s a good chance that their great-grandfathers knew each other or at least ran into each other on Sea Island. When offered the term “a passion project” to describe the restoration work, Michael replied, “It really is. So many people are excited to preserve this forgotten building that we all love and want to be a part of it.”
Harlan Hambright has provided a 3D tour of The Visitors Club that you can review on their Facebook page: The Visitors Club Brunswick Georgia. You can see regular updates of the progress of the restoration there. If you have questions or would like to volunteer your time or talents or donate in any way, please email thevisitorsclubbwk@gmail.com.
