Location: 805 Gloucester St, Brunswick, GA 31520
The building was designed by the firm of Abreu and Robeson. Francis Abreu - who is well-known in South Florida preservation circles - was a New York-born, Cornell-trained, Cuban-American architect that first began his career in Fort Lauderdale where his family wintered and then moved to Brunswick in 1928, following the real estate crash in Florida. In Brunswick, he teamed up with Georgia-born, Georgia Tech-educated architect James L. Robeson in 1929 and they worked together for 40 years until Abreu’s death in 1969. During their partnership they maintained offices in both Brunswick and Atlanta and their firm was highly regarded from the beginning of their work together. In 1931-32, they designed Eugene O’Neill’s seaside estate on nearby Sea Island, Georgia, which is known as Casa Genotta, in the Mediterranean Revival style for which Abreu is famous.
The drawings for the Brunswick building indicate that Robeson was the structure’s lead architect, with the earliest drawings dated December 1957. Also, at the time that this building was being designed, the firm had recently hired Abreu’s younger cousin, Cornell-educated Henri Jova, who joined the firm about 1956 and become a highly-regarded modernist architect in his own right; though there is no indication he participated in this design. This building was completed in 1959.
Building Facts
- Architect: Abreu and Robeson. Francis Abreu
- Construction Dates: 1959
- GSA Building Number: GA0103ZZ
- Landmark Status: Listed in the National Register of Historic Places
U.S. General Services Administration
