In a city full of rich history with many buildings dating back to the days of Henry Ford and before, the City of Richmond Hill felt it was important to adopt a Historic Preservation Ordinance to help preserve the city’s history for future generations.
 
During 2016, the former Ford Bakery was in jeopardy of being demolished which encouraged action by the Richmond Hill community.  A committee comprised of representatives from the City of Richmond Hill, Richmond Hill Convention and Visitors Bureau, Richmond Hill Historical Society and community volunteers worked with Rebecca Fenwick, historic preservationist for Lominack Kolman Smith Architects and Allison Asbrock, outreach program manager for the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office to develop the ordinance and then held three public hearing on the matter.  Following the hearings, the City of Richmond Hill’s City Council voted unanimously to approve the historic preservation ordinance specifically outlining the creation of a historic preservation commission.
 
“The ordinance will not only preserve our city’s historical buildings and artifacts, but it will allow the city to be eligible for preservation grants,”  said Russ Carpenter, mayor of the City of Richmond Hill.  “Preserving our rich history is key for the city.”
 
The committee will have five members to oversee the preservation of historic assets.  In addition to the representatives from the City of Richmond Hill, the committee will work closely with the  Richmond Hill Historical Society.