The Georgia General Assembly and Gov. Nathan Deal have approved a $3 million bond package in the FY17 state budget to renovate and repurpose UGA Skidaway Institute’s old Roebling cattle barn.
The circa-1947 building is in poor condition and not currently functional as laboratory, teaching or meeting space. Renovations will allow UGA Skidaway Institute to repurpose the 14,000-square-foot facility to include research laboratories, a teaching laboratory and lecture space for students and community groups.
The barn exterior
The renovated facility will become home to the Center for Coastal Hydrology and Marine Processes, or CHAMP, with a focus on research and education directed toward understanding influences on coastal systems and the wise stewardship of coastal resources.
The interior today
“We want to thank Gov. Deal and the General Assembly, especially Rep. Jesse Petrea, Sen. Ben Watson and the rest of our local delegation, for their support for this project,” said UGA Skidaway Institute Executive Director Jim Sanders. “This support will allow us to put a wonderful, historic structure to work for the benefit of coastal Georgia.”
Beginning in the mid-1930s, Robert Roebling and his family operated a cattle plantation, known as Modena Plantation, on the north end of Skidaway Island. In 1968, the Roeblings donated their land to the state of Georgia, a move that spurred the establishment of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. The Roeblings constructed the barn from steel and concrete after World War II. It was the site of the plantation’s annual cattle auctions. Roebling’s daughter, Ellin Cochran Roebling, was married there in 1950.
Elin Roebling’s 1950 wedding
Over the past 47 years, the barn has served a variety of purposes. Currently, it is used primarily for storage.
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