It was a milestone this past weekend for Paradise Garden, as the nonprofit behind Howard Finster’s famous folk art environment received statewide recognition for historic preservation.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation presented the Paradise Garden Foundation with an Excellence in Rehabilitation Award for its restoration of Rev. Finster’s World’s Folk Art Church. The award recognizes projects that preserve the historic character of a property while returning buildings to useful and compatible service.

Danielle Meunier, Preservation Programs Coordinator for the Georgia Trust, praised the Foundation’s work, calling it an “outstanding contribution to historic preservation in Georgia.”

Foundation leaders, board members, project partners, and supporters accepted the award during ceremonies at the Strand Theatre in Marietta. The multiyear restoration effort was supported by the architecture firm Lord Aeck Sargent, with major planning and fundraising led by Paradise Garden executive director emeritus Tina Cox. Eddy Willingham, who stepped away from the board to manage the restoration project, also played an important role in bringing the work to completion.

The celebration continued later that day at the annual Inman Park Festival parade. Paradise Garden supporters joined the festivities wearing angel wings in honor of the flying angels often seen in Finster’s artwork. Along the parade route, they handed out angel wing bracelets and save-the-date cards for Finster Fest, set for September 19 and 20.

For Paradise Garden, the day was both a celebration of preservation and a tribute to the enduring spirit of Howard Finster’s art.