W.W. Law Home Named One of Georgia's Places in Peril

The modest two-story home at 710 West Victory Drive now sits empty, but it once belonged to one of Savannah's great minds.

Civil rights icon W.W. Law was a central figure in the civil rights movement, not just in Savannah but also in Georgia. Law's home is being highlighted as one of The Georgia Trust's Places in Peril, a list of the state's endangered historic sites.

Law, who passed away in 2002, lived at the World War II-era home for years, and efforts are underway to save it. 

"It's important for us to save those places that matter that are connected with people like Mr. Law and that's what we're trying to do," said Daniel Carey, President and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation.

Though it needs cosmetic work, the structure itself is in danger. Law's collection of books and papers compromised the building. A look around shows uneven floors, warped under such massive weight.

"The amount of books that W.W. Law had in this house created a huge amount of pressure on its foundation and on the structural supports underneath it," said Sam Carroll of Carroll Construction.

Carey said Tuesday that the home's inclusion on the Places in Peril list helps bring attention to its fragile state.

The Historic Savannah Foundation, the Savannah Community Foundation, and the W.W. Law Foundation have committed $15,000 to stabilize the house, a project that just started this week.

"A lot of what's holding this building up is just the fact that there's a floor here, and it's kind of holding it from above," said Carroll.

The repairs are the first step toward saving the home of a man who championed preservation in his community, but they said there is more work ahead to ensure this historic landmark doesn't reappear on the Places in Peril list next year.
 
"We're not suggesting that this be a museum or that it be necessarily open to the public, but it ought to be here," said Carey.

The Historic Savannah Foundation is still collecting donations for work on the home.

The W.W. Law home is the only Savannah property to make the list.

Other properties include Rutherford Hall on the University of Georgia campus in Athens; Orange Hall in St. Marys;  historic railroad buildings of Atlanta; Historic Liberty Street in Milledgeville; Randolph County Courthouse in Cuthbert; Mt. Zion Church in Sparta; Crown Mill Store in Dalton; Secondary Industrial High School in Columbus; and, Chattahoochee Park Pavilion in Gainesville.