“I’m so excited to be here today. This beautiful complex is more than just new units—it’s a testament to the power of collaboration, the strength of community, and unwavering belief that everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, and affordable place to call home,” said Kim Golden, Director at the Office of Housing Finance at Georgia Department of Community Affairs. “The Vecino Group and their partners showed true innovation in the development of Gillespie Gardens.”
This morning state and local community partners, stakeholders and residents gathered for the official opening of Gillespie Gardens, the new affordable housing development within the Gillespie-Selden Historic District of Cordele. The development includes the adaptive reuse of four of Cordele’s most historic buildings—each individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places—as well as a newly constructed three-story building designed to complement the existing historic buildings and neighborhood.
“A key goal of the Vecino Group is to create developments that provide affordability, but moreover
a community impact that really makes a difference,” said Wesley Brown, Director of Development, Southeast. “Gillespie Gardens allowed us not only to deliver housing for the community, but also to help protect and champion the rich, cultural legacy here.”
The 53 housing units at Gillespie Gardens includes a mix of efficiency and 1-, 2-, or 3-bedroom units serving individuals and families who are at or below 60% of the area median income. There is also a community room, a business center, a playground, plus a large open-air patio as well as a newly-built garden consisting of four 5ft x 20ft raised beds where residents volunteer to help maintain the garden.
“This is a significant milestone as a new affordable housing on the West side of Cordele. This area is also special to me because, as a child, I attended the Gillespie Daycare Center. to witness this area being revitalized is truly heartwarming,” said Angela Redding, Cordele City Manager.
The historic site for which the neighborhood is known, The Gillespie-Selden Institute, was a complex of education and medical buildings that first opened as a school for African American children in 1902. In addition to the school, the property has also included two hospitals and a church serving African Americans who were injured or homeless.
In keeping with a tradition of betterment and education, partner Blackshear Place Center provides an after-school tutoring program for students who are residents of Gillespie Gardens.
Dravian McGill of Blackshear Place Center referenced the passing of the torch from Gillespie’s earlier generations in closing remarks. “From the time that the ground was broken to where you are sitting right now, it has been the vision of exactly what we wanted to see for this campus. Thank you to the alumni and everyone for continuing to press and keep everything alive and your effort to save this facility. A legacy continues—it does not die.”
After the ceremonial ribbon cutting, there was a lunch provided by the Presbyterian Church. In the afternoon, members of the Church, Vecino Group and Olympia Management and children of Gillespie Gardens worked soil and then planted produce and flowers in the raised bed community garden.
Designed to serve as a central effort in the revitalization of the Cordele Historic District, Gillespie Gardens was a collaborative effort between the Vecino Group, the City of Cordele, Blackshear Place Business & Events Center, and the St. Paul Presbyterian Church. Architecture and Design—for both historic adaptation and new build—was performed by Vecino Design, LLC with Vecino Construction, LLC as General Contractor.
The $16 Million redevelopment was made possible through an allocation of Federal and State Low-Income Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) as well as Federal and State Historic Tax Credits from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, an equity investment from Enterprise Housing Credit Investments and Cabretta Capital, and construction lending through M1 Bank.
