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Historical Registry Eligibility of Radium Casino

I have been asked to clarify the National and Georgia Register eligibility and compliance status of buildings and structures at the Radium Springs resort complex in  Dougherty County.

The current Radium Springs Casino building is not eligible for the National/Georgia Register.  This has been the Historic Preservation Division’s position ever since the 1982 fire and rebuilding.  While some interior materials and exterior details may have been salvaged, the building today is essentially a rebuilt, nonhistoric building.  Some people may continue to associate this rebuilt building with the historic Radium Springs resort, but because of the extent of rebuilding it does not meet the National/Georgia Register criteria for historic architectural integrity. 

The springs themselves and their 1920s landscaped setting including the stone pool, rock walls, paths, stairways, railings, retaining walls, island, and gazebos appear to be eligible for the National/Georgia Register.  This is a relatively intact and unique historic landscape which is directly associated with the historic recreational uses of the property.  Also eligible is a deteriorated but otherwise intact double‑arched concrete bridge over Radium Springs Creek near the Flint River.

None of the outbuildings or support structures associated with the casino appears to be individually eligible for the National/Georgia Register, based on the information we have on file and a recent site visit examination.  Some of these buildings do not appear to be old enough to be considered historic; others appear to have been added to or altered.  However, these buildings have never been thoroughly documented; it is possible, although unlikely, that a case could be made for one or more of them.  The only way to  know for sure is to document their dates of construction, historic functions, associations with the casino, and all changes (interior and exterior) made to them since they were built. 

Regarding archaeological resources, based on a recent walk‑over by one of the archaeologists in our office, it appears that prehistoric archaeological sites may be located almost anywhere on the larger tract of land, given its proximity to the springs, the creek, and the river.  Highest‑probability locations include the river terrace (on which the casino and other buildings were built) and the levee closer to the river.  Areas of the floodplain that have not been deeply scoured may also contain smaller isolated archaeological sites.

Our recommendations regarding National/Georgia Register eligibility, the preservation of historic resources, and further compliance with federal and state historic preservation laws are as follows: 

(1)  The casino and associated outbuildings are possibly re‑usable buildings but they are not historic; that is, they do not appear to meet the eligibility criteria for the National or Georgia Registers of Historic Places.  Therefore, no further actions regarding compliance with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, the Georgia Environmental Policy Act (GEPA), or state stewardship policies are required.

(2)  The springs and associated landscaping are historic and should be preserved to the maximum extent feasible.  This includes the stone pool, rock walls, paths, stairways, railings, retaining walls, island, and gazebos.  Any proposed work to be done to these historic landscape features should be submitted to our office for review and comment.

(3)  The concrete arch bridge over Radium Springs Creek near the Flint River should be evaluated for its preservation potential, reused if possible, or even just set aside as a relic.  If the bridge is not to be preserved (even if just left to decay), at a minimum it should be documented photographically.  Again, our office should be consulted on the appropriate treatment for these historic structures.

(4)  Archaeological surveys should be done in advance of any significant ground‑disturbing activities in the tract (either well in advance, across the entire tract, for planning purposes, or in advance of any specific projects).  Archaeological surveys would not be required for the demolition of nonhistoric buildings or structures unless unusually extensive ground disturbance around the buildings is anticipated.  Our office would be pleased to advise on the appropriateness of archaeological surveys in these situations.

I hope this clarifies the situation regarding historic properties and compliance with historic preservation laws at the Radium Springs Casino property.  If there are further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at 404-651-5983 or Richard_cloues@mail.dnr.state.ga.us

 ~ Richard Cloues

FYI--There are some major differences in circumstances between the New Perry Hotel and the Radium Springs Casino.  The major difference is that the New Perry Hotel was only damaged and not destroyed by fire in 1947 and all the mostly interior repairs made following the fire are now more than 50 years old (the threshhold for National Register eligibility without having to meet all the difficult "exceptional significance" tests) while the Radium Springs Casino was virtually destroyed by fire and almost totally rebuilt in the early 1980s and is thus not anywhere near 50 years old yet. 

We have had to deal with a number of similar situations and the rules of the game seem pretty clear.  One that comes to mind is Westover Plantation near Milledgeville--an antebellum plantation with historic landscaping and outbuildings but where the main house was destroyed by fire and then rebuilt in a near-replica form in the 1950s.  The National Register ruled that the property could be listed for its antebellum landscaping, outbuildings, and agricultural significance but that the main house was not historic because of its recent date of (re)reconstruction and therefore could not be listed as a historic building.