community house

RICHMOND HILL, GA

Listed to the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 2024, the Community House is a significant historic resource associated with Henry Ford's involvement in Richmond Hill in the 1930s and 40s. Purchased by the municipality for historic rehabilitation, the City commissioned the listing of the building to the National Register to honor its history.

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The Community House was built in 1936 as part of American industrialist Henry Ford’s (1863-1947) investment in the community, previously known as Ways Station. The two-story, wood frame, Colonial Revival Style building was designed by Savannah architect Cletus William Bergen (1886-1966) to provide home economics lessons and social training for girls. Character defining features that reflect the building’s purposeful design and intention include a large second floor dance hall in which to host community dances, numerous dormitory bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, as well as a large lounge and dining room. Changes made to the building after the Carter Funeral Home purchase in the 1990s include a one-story chapel addition attached via a hyphen on the northwestern elevation and conversion of the industrial-type kitchen into a breakroom and storage room. The Community House remains in its original setting and is one of the largest buildings fronting Ford Avenue in the city of Richmond Hill. Despite its discontinued use as such in 1950, local residents
and a historical marker continue to refer to the building as the Community House reflecting its feeling and association.