Cullen G. Chambers Anyone who had the good fortune to work with Cullen Chambers in his forty-year career knew a man of unparalleled passion for preservation. He could make even the toughest opponents respect him for that passion, even if they never agreed with him. And with a career spanning four decades he met his fair share of opponents. He would be the first to admit to mistakes made and buildings lost but the one thing he would never have had to admit to was not giving every project, no matter how small or seemingly inconsequential, his unwavering dedication and limitless enthusiasm. When Cullen arrived on Tybee Island in 1993 he saw a community that was remarkably untouched with many of its historical resources still intact but with no way of protecting those resources; so set to work to correct this oversight. In addition to a 2.5 million dollar restoration of the Tybee Island Light Station that took over ten years to complete, he worked closely with Robert Ciucevich in the designation of three historic districts on Tybee Island. Knowing that even that was not enough, they were working on a fourth at the time of his passing. He helped write city ordinances that protected buildings from immediate demolition and helped to establish Tybee’s very own Historic Preservation commission, which is currently revising historical guidelines that were written by Cullen in an attempt to protect Tybee Island’s historic districts. He was responsible for the restoration of several city buildings including the Tybee Island Guard House and Arts Association building in addition to numerous privately owned buildings, including the Tybee Post Theater. He was never averse to going to the trouble of relocating a building if that was what was needed to save it. For this and his work at the Tybee Light Station he won awards from the National Trust, American Association for State and Local History, Georgia Trust, Georgia Historical Society, and the Historic Savannah Foundation. Even the Mayor and City of Tybee Island proclaimed a Cullen Chambers day in 2010. If he was not participating in a project in what he would call his ‘hands on approach’ he was behind the scenes writing grant nominations or Places in Peril nominations and reaching out to state, county and city officials to gain their support for a project. In fact, he worked directly with the state to set up the Historic Preservation Auto Tag which funds preservation projects throughout the state. But Cullen did not just limit his projects to Tybee Island. He was involved in several projects in Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida. To each one of these projects he gave his personal time spending many weekends traveling. He would often be heard saying that without the love and support of his beautiful wife Christine it would not be possible to do it all. His most recent volunteer projects were, the Dr. Steward Home in Portal Georgia and the Elbow Reef Light Station in Hope Town, Abaco, Bahamas, which houses the last hand-wound kerosene lighthouse in the world. All that has been mentioned is just a glance at a very effective and meaningful legacy left behind by a dedicated, enthusiastic and passionate preservationist. If you never had the chance to meet Cullen all you have to do is visit, Fort Zachery Taylor, the Mel Fischer Museum, the Key West Lighthouse, the St. Augustine Lighthouse or the Tybee Island Light Station. Cullen Chambers is there in every board that was sanded, nailed and painted and every person who experiences one of the many historical structures or sites that he saved and restored will receive a lesson from a true preservationist.
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 18:59:08 +0000
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