VALDOSTA —

VALDOSTA — Seeing the fire-damaged Roberts House rebuilt along Wells Street, even some of the people who advised tearing down the Valdosta landmark are beginning to change their minds.

The Valdosta Heritage Foundation had spent years and thousands of dollars to restore the Roberts House only for squirrels chewing through wiring to spark a fire that demolished the group’s work and threatened a landmark tied to Valdosta’s origins in one fiery morning this past January.

Some Foundation members believed it would be better to flatten the charred remains rather than building from the ashes, said Tom Haller, VHF president.

Standing Thursday in front of a revitalized Roberts House, still under re-construction, Haller said the decision to repair the damage has been the most difficult part of the restoration process.

“It took a lot of soul searching, a lot of meetings, a lot of discussion,” said Haller.

In the end, the Foundation voted to save the Roberts House.

“It’s the oldest house in Valdosta. A landmark,” Haller said. “It’s our duty to put it back as best we can.”

For the past few months, the Foundation has been doing just that. Given that large portions of the house’s exterior and interior have been salvaged, the current work is not a replica. Given the vast damage and loss of portions of the house, it is not considered a renovation, either.

Haller describes the Roberts House’s resurrection as a fire restoration.

Taylor Construction Company of Thomasville has led this work. The company is known for work in both fire restoration and historic preservation.

Brent Taylor of Taylor Construction said the company has been able to salvage more of the Roberts House’s original materials than anticipated.

Wall frames and portions of flooring on the first and second floors have been saved. A kitchen fireplace was removed but, with proper support, the house’s other chimneys and fireplaces have been salvaged. Some walls remain intact. Doors, mantels, window frames, crown molding, wainscoting, lumber and other interior trim have been saved and are being used in the restoration.

From the street, the shape of the house’s familiar exterior has            returned. The roof is back and shingling will start any day now. Interior flooring on both floors has been replaced where needed. A workable staircase has been built.

Haller outlines three phases for the restoration.

In the on-going Phase I, the house will be framed, with the replacement of the roof, doors, exterior walls, etc., so that the structure is safely sealed from the elements.

As long as the project stays on budget, Haller said he has set no timeline for the Phase I completion.

“We’re not rebuilding someone’s home or preparing to open a business,” Haller said, “so I’m more interested in a quality job than setting a time for its completion.”

Taylor estimates a Phase I completion date by early spring.

Phase II will cover central air and heating, electrical wiring and plumbing.

Phase III will finish the interior walls, etc.

For Haller, who lives in a restored home across the street from the Roberts House, the restoration has been as consistent as looking out his window or walking across the street for a visit.

It is a job he plans to see through to completion. Haller had taken office as the Foundation president on the Friday prior to the Wednesday morning fire in mid-January. Though his term was set to expire at the start of a new year, he will continue as president through 2012.

Legend has it that J.T. Roberts often stepped onto the Roberts House balcony to view the progress of Valdosta in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

In 1840, 20 years before there would be a Valdosta, a man named William E. Wisenbaker settled on a large tract of land in Lowndes County. In 1845, the Wisenbakers built their house.

At that time, Troupville was the Lowndes County seat. By the late 1850s, a railroad was being built from Savannah to Montgomery. Tracks would pass through Lowndes County but not through Troupville. Instead, the railroad would be four miles east of Troupville.

Lowndes County wished to move its county seat closer to the railroad. In 1859, Wisenbaker sold 125 acres of his property to the Lowndes County Commission. These 125 acres became Valdosta, which was incorporated Dec. 7, 1860.

“This may be the most important event in Lowndes history,” according to the Valdosta Heritage Foundation.

In 1863, Wisenbaker sold the house to J.W. Wells, a businessman and Valdosta mayor, for whom Wells Street is named.

In 1891, Wells sold the land to John Taylor Roberts. He “was a successful businessman and political leader serving in city government as councilman and mayor from 1892-1914, a prosperous period in the history of Valdosta,” according to the Heritage Foundation.

Though called the Roberts House, its full name is the Wisenbaker-Wells-Roberts House.