Biological Agricultural Engineering (BAE) Building – UGA 4417 (1952, Category 2). The Biological Agricultural Engineering building was constructed in 1952 as an annex to the Food Processing Plant, the concrete barn-like structure to which it was attached. Located to the south of the Mule barn along Higgins Road, the building features a low, one-story brick section with a low-pitched roof system, a perpendicular extension with a flat roof, and the one-and-one-half-story concrete barn that completes the U-shaped form of the building footprint.
The Food Processing Plant was constructed in 1948 at the end of the row of barns located behind the Director’s House. It served as a pilot project and state initiative to stimulate food processing in Georgia.
The 1952–1953 annex, modern in architectural design, was unlike any other building at the Georgia Experiment Station at the time it was built. It featured ribbons of continuous steel windows, including a clerestory, which allowed natural light to flood the interior, as well as a low-pitched roof with a dramatic overhang. The building is in satisfactory condition, although the roof exhibits signs of aging.
The annex interior remains fairly intact. However, the original steel windows have been replaced with low-quality modern double-hung windows and aluminum siding. The upper clerestory window has been almost entirely enclosed with aluminum siding. Windows in the concrete portion have been replaced with double-hung windows that are smaller than the full window opening. Trim has been covered with sheet aluminum. Despite these changes, the BAE Building is unique and retains its historic integrity. It is assessed as Category 2.
