Former Gwinnett Sexual Abuse Center in Duluth to be Demolished

The red brick ranch-style house on Main Street in Duluth that served as the Gwinnett Sexual Assault Center and Children’s Advocacy Center for nearly 25 years will soon be demolished. 

The Duluth City Council awarded a contact in an amount not to exceed 14,000 to locally-based Dennis Taylor to demolish the center and do asbestos abatement. The contact was approved at the council’s July 8 meeting.

The city had ordered the center to vacate by July 1 due to maintenance issues. The center, which assists victims of rape, sexual assault and child sexual abuse, had rented the house from the city for $1 a year since 1989.

According to the center’s Facebook site, the center has negotiated a two-year lease to relocate to a building in Duluth. Gwinnett District Attorney Danny Porter provided $48,000 in drug forfeiture funds to cover the first year’s rent because the center has an essential role in prosecution of these kinds of cases by his office.

Exact location of the center is kept a secret for the safety of its clients.