Adam Strain Building
The extraordinary rehabilitation of the Adam Strain Building in Darien represents a landmark achievement in historic preservation and the recipient of the 2025 Marguerite Williams Award. Constructed between 1813 and 1818 of tabby concrete, the Adam Strain Building is among the oldest surviving commercial structures on Georgia’s coast. Long vacant and severely deteriorated, the building was listed as a Place in Peril by the Georgia Trust in 2008, threatened by demolition. Thanks to the vision and perseverance of Marion and Milan Savic, it was saved. From 2020 to 2024, the Savics and their team undertook a complex, multi-phase rehabilitation—restoring historic tabby walls, wood floors, windows, and even a rooftop hoist system—while installing a concealed steel frame to ensure stability. The adjacent 1880s-era Darien Bank building was also restored and incorporated into the project. Today, the buildings house the Tabby House Brewing Company and Museum, reinvigorating Darien’s waterfront and drawing new energy to the historic district. With techniques that now serve as a case study in tabby preservation, this project stands as a powerful example of vision, perseverance, and the profound impact historic preservation can have in shaping Georgia’s cultural and architectural legacy.
The Marguerite Williams Award is presented annually to the project that has had the greatest impact on preservation in the state.
