COVINGTON, Ga. — One of the largest private foundations in Germany is seeking to honor a longtime Newton County landowner by creating a sustainable collaborative space south of Covington for itself and nonprofit leaders and organizations.
The Hamburg-based Joachim Herz Foundation will use Little Springs Farm off Georgia Hwy. 36 for its own projects and make it available to its partners and nonprofits by early 2024.
The project honors the legacy of the late German entrepreneur Joachim Herz who, along with his wife, "found peace and solace" on the 2,700-acre property off Georgia Hwy. 36 south of Covington, said Foundation spokesperson Thornton Kennedy.
"Herz, who built a real estate business in the southeastern United States, died in 2008 and is buried near the lakes he so loved on the property," Kennedy said.
Beginning in the 1970s, Herz invested in real estate across the southeastern U.S. with a focus on Atlanta.
"Since he and his wife spent many weeks a year in Atlanta, they decided to make a home there," Kennedy said. "They sought the vastness and solitude of the countryside and found it in Newton County."
In the 1980s, the Herzes acquired what is now Little Springs Farm and lived in the home on the property whenever they were in Atlanta.
The Joachim Herz Foundation was founded soon after Herz's death. It is one of the largest private foundations in Germany and funds education, science and research in economics and the natural sciences as well as the personal development of teens and young adults.
Since 2017, additional funding has been granted to support research projects in the fields of medicine, law and engineering technology, according to information from the Foundation.
Projects within the U.S. play an important role due to the founder’s close ties with this country, and the state of Georgia in particular, Kennedy said.
Plans by the Foundation include converting an existing 4,500-square-foot, mid-20th century home on the property into meeting space with outdoor areas for creativity and inspiration for no more than 50 guests.
A large room for meetings and shared meals will be created in the former residential wing. The former bedrooms will be converted into breakout spaces for smaller sessions.
Several verandas and seating areas around the house will allow guests to come together both inside and outside.
As part of the renovations, the kitchen will be modernized to serve Little Springs Farm’s guests. A new entrance on the north side of the property on Moore's Farm Road will utilize an existing airplane runway, Kennedy said.
It is intended for day use only and there will be no overnight accommodations, he said.
The majority of the farm property is leased to an independent cattle operator, and hunting clubs lease sections at various times throughout the year. The changes will not affect the cattle and clubs' operations, Kennedy said.
When complete, it will be passive and sustainable which will allow it to operate in a carbon-neutral manner, similar to the foundation’s headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, he said.
