Down In It: historic preservationists clash with local church

WUGA | By Lara Dua-Swartz

Published March 22, 2025 at 10:00 AM EDT

The corner of Lumpkin and Hancock, where the 100-year-old Saye Building stands. — The 100-year-old Saye building, located on the corner of Lumpkin and Hancock.

Historic Preservationists want to save the 100-year-old Saye Building on the corner of Lumpkin and Hancock. Athens First United Methodist Church wants to demolish it for a parking lot. It seems like a pretty straightforward story, but is it? WUGA's Lara Dua-Swartz explores the story in the new 3-part podcast from WUGA, Down In it. Here is the first episode.

Episodes 1 and 2 are now available on Apple and Spotify and at WUGA.org.

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Lara Dua-Swartz

A native New Yorker, Lara is new to Athens, having just moved to this delightfully quirky town in 2021. She’s been working in broadcasting for the last 25 years in markets such as New York City, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and Atlanta. When she’s not at WUGA, you can find Lara covered in cats, playing D&D, or skating (as a rookie) with Classic City Roller Derby.

See stories by Lara Dua-Swartz