Orange Hall Gilman Cultural Center

02/25/2026

Exciting News for Orange Hall and Downtown St. Marys

Orange Hall, the jewel of St. Marys, has been named to the 2026 Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Places in Peril list.

Built circa 1830 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 7, 1973, Orange Hall remains one of our community’s most treasured landmarks. This statewide recognition brings meaningful attention to its historic significance and creates real opportunity for its future.

Inclusion on the Places in Peril list increases visibility, strengthens eligibility for preservation grants and funding programs, and connects St. Marys with advocacy resources and technical expertise. It positions our community to pursue partnerships, investment, and solutions that support both preservation and progress.

Historic preservation is economic development. Landmark properties like Orange Hall attract heritage tourism, enhance downtown vitality, and reinforce the authentic character that makes St. Marys so special.

Preserving our past is not just about history. It is about building a stronger future for St. Marys.

This designation builds momentum, opens doors, and puts Orange Hall in the spotlight in ways that support funding opportunities and long-term sustainability.

We look forward to sharing updates as efforts continue to protect and strengthen this iconic part of our city’s story.

05/22/2025

06/04/2024

Hope to see you this Saturday for a fabulous fish fry in support of Orange Hall!

09/17/2023

08/12/2023

Need a great date night idea? Why not surprise that special someone with a picnic on the grounds of Orange Hall?! The above image is the back side of Orange Hall. A lesser viewed side of this beautiful mansion provides a little privacy from the main road. Order a magnificent dinner from one of our fabulous local restaurants, take it to go, spread a blanket, and enjoy!

Your welcome! 😉💕

08/12/2023

Thursday was an exciting day! When we saw the concrete truck pulling in it was like the joy and excitement we felt when we were kids seeing the ice cream truck pulling into our neighborhood! 😀

Our hearts have been broken to continue to see this house just sit here all empty inside, but our goal is to turn this big old house into a creamy, dazzling, indulgent event venue as well as an educational museum in the future.

We hope that you will be intrigued to come explore the grounds and see the exciting new Cookhouse that is beginning to take shape.

The Orange Hall Management Committee has been picturing this project come together for so long. We never imagined that it would all be so wonderful, terrifying, exciting, and challenging all at the same time, but we do know in the end, it is all going to be so beautiful and worth every moment we’ve spent making this dream a reality.

This place means so much to us. What does it mean to you?

06/08/2023

Tell YOUR story! If you ever had a chance to visit Orange Hall, we’d love to hear about it. Leave your story or favorite memory of OH in the comments below.

06/03/2023

Azalea pruning success! Huge thanks to the St. Marys Garden Club ladies and the 8 new volunteers who joined in the fun this morning! 🙌 It’s always a joy to have the Garden Club ladies come out to share their wealth of knowledge with the community. Ms. Judy gave a brief talk about how to care for your azaleas so they will love you back before the pruning began and was readily available to help assist anyone that had questions during the process. This group of ladies are passionate about plants and love serving their community. Stay tuned for our next garden event!!! 🌸🌺🌷

06/02/2023

The Orange Hall Board and St. Marys Garden Club invite you to a brief talk "How to Love Your Azaleas so they Love You Back" at Orange Hall on Saturday, June 3 at 9 am. Afterwards, get hands on experience in pruning by helping to prune the azaleas on the grounds. Bring hand pruners, loppers (if you have them), water, and bug spray. No hedge trimmers please.

05/09/2023

On Monday, May 1st, 2023, the St. Marys City Council approved the bid by Coastal Construction of St. Marys for the construction of a “Cookhouse” on the grounds of Orange Hall near the current restroom facility. The bid amount was $179,885.00, based on architectural rendering by David Amos, architect. The “Cookhouse” will be similar in size to the current restroom facility, and will have the same roof material and slope, except the roof will be a gable design. Resembling a small southern cottage, the structure will be used for catering special events on the adjacent grounds as well as provide opportunity for small group activities.

The decision to build the “Cookhouse” came about because of the fact that Orange Hall is constructed of 180+ year old heart pine, which is highly flammable, and any type of cooking or warming of food could possibly lead to an uncontrollable fire, even with the new fire suppression system. Additional improvements to Orange Hall this year include a completely new HVAC system. Plans are underway this year to overhaul the electrical and plumbing systems throughout the structure, bringing them in compliance to current codes.

The Orange Hall Management Committee is currently finalizing the use and layout of all 3 floors of Orange Hall. There will be event rooms, in addition to meeting and historical rooms. The St. Marys Garden Club has designed a completely new landscape design of the Orange Hall grounds, and will move forward once the current irrigation system has been repaired and / or replaced. Tentative plans call for the 1st floor (or basement) to reopen to the public by December, 2023, based on the construction timeline of the “Cookhouse.” The construction timeline right now stands at 180 days once ground is broken. Orange Hall is on its way back, and a lot of planning, time and effort has been put forth to get to this point in the grand old lady’s return to being a viable and important part of downtown St. Marys.

04/18/2023

Love seeing all these smiling faces on the grounds of Orange Hall! 😃💕