Following a very eventful twenty-year ownership period, TUFF fulfilled its commitment to the State of Georgia and Georgia Board of Regents through the sale of the Georgia Archives facility to the Board of Regents Foundation.
The Georgia Archives was developed as a result of the cooperation between the Georgia Secretary of State’s office, Georgia Governor’s office and TUFF. Ultimately the site of the Georgia Archives was complemented by the Federal Government, which co-located one of the 12 regional archives facility adjacent to the Georgia facility. This complex, which sits at the front door of Clayton State University, holds the largest civil war document collection as well as original survey and deed documents for many parts of the state of Georgia.
The previous Georgia Archives, located in downtown Atlanta near the state government office complex, was in disrepair and then Secretary of State Cathy Cox called on TUFF to help deliver a new facility adjacent to the Clayton State campus. Clayton State former President Rick Skinner took full advantage of the proximity of the archives facility to his front door and immediately developed an archival management program for the university, now offering degrees and intern, co-op and long term employment opportunities for students. The State of Georgia Archivist at the time, David Carmichael, lauded the new structure as the most cutting-edge archives facility because of the innovative climate control systems integrated into the facility.
The Georgia Archives is a 170,000 square foot facility on a joint state-federal campus with state-of-the-art HVAC and humidity control systems, intricate document storage infrastructure and security, and a virtual vault with access to documents dating back to 1733.
The $68 million facility was sold to the Board of Regents Foundation for the assumption of the remaining debt of about $23 million resulting in a benefit to the state of approximately $45 million.
In 2003, prior to relocating to the current location, the State of Georgia’s existing archives facility had legacy mechanical systems that impacted the integrity of critical records and historical documents. The state also desired to re-imagine the archives beyond its existing function as a state resource and extend the infrastructure to accommodate tourism.
Almost 20 years ago, TUFF played a crucial role in assembling over 50 parcels of land for the relocation and providing tax-exempt financing for very low occupancy cost for the state. The relocation helped catalyze economic development and tourism in Clayton County and revitalized the area’s infrastructure; students, researchers, state employees and tourists have continued to find reason to visit Morrow.
TUFF is a real estate developer and advisor whose mission is to create facilities for institutions of education and research that foster economic growth and accelerate innovation. TUFF is honored to have played such a critical role in the development of the Georgia Archives and fulfilled our commitment to provide a benefit to the Board of Regents, University System and ultimately the taxpayers of the State of Georgia.
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