A nonprofit group dedicated to protecting Georgia's historic places says it's planning upgrades to its Atlanta headquarters that will make the nearly century-old mansion more environmentally efficient without sacrificing its historic integrity.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta to help pay for a new heating and air conditioning system, new basement and attic insulation and other improvements at Rhodes Hall.

The 1904 mansion serves as Georgia Trust's headquarters and a public museum.

Georgia Trust President Mark McDonald says the upgrades and the care taken to install them will prove "the greenest building is the one that is already built."

For 40 years the Georgia Trust has helped save endangered historic properties and revitalize downtown areas across Georgia.

Tags: Georgia Trust, historic preservation, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, rhodes hall, green renovation