The Georgia Cities Foundation has selected Paul King, a property and land agent in the city of Augusta, as the recipient of its 2018 Renaissance Award. King accepted the award during the Georgia Municipal Association’s Annual Convention in Savannah on Monday, June 25.
 
The Renaissance Award recognizes an individual or organization that has made a significant contribution to the revitalization of one or more of Georgia’s cities.
 
Many Augusta residents and city leaders credit the preservation and rehabilitation of the city’s Old Towne area to King. This area also known as “Pinched Gut,” is a large, intact collection of historic residential buildings including 19th-century landscape architecture in Downtown Augusta. It has strong ties to the city’s education and religious history.

During his time in Augusta, King has purchased and rehabilitated more than 25 properties—housing over 100 residential units. These projects include four that he saved from demolition by neglect. Four of his most significant projects to date are the Levy House, the Stovall Barnes House, Dunbar-Howard House and Patrick-Pund.
 
King’s many investments, which were inspired by his self-professed love for the history and diversity of Downtown Augusta, have increased the tax base and overall health of downtown by creating 20 new businesses and 100 full-time jobs. His projects have also decreased blight while restoring the community’s historic integrity.
 
His experience spans early career work as a hands-on renovator of rehabilitation on his own historic properties to managing the construction, leasing, and sales divisions of real estate company, Rex Property & Land, LLC.
 
A licensed General Contractor and Real Estate Broker, King holds degrees in Engineering & Biochemistry from the University of New Hampshire.
 
When not working, King shares his expertise with community organizations. He’s a former member of the Downtown Development Authority of Augusta and served on then-Augusta Main Street’s board of directors for two terms. King is an active member of the Augusta Metro Chamber of Commerce, and one of the instrumental committee members who enacted Augusta’s Business Improvement District. King is currently on the parking sub-committee, which reviews parking management solutions in the urban core.
 
He received 10 Historic Preservation Awards from Historic Augusta and was the recipient of the 2010 Georgia Downtown Award for Design for the Stovall-Barnes House.