One of the last remaining single-family mansions on Peachtree Road will live to see another day in Ansley Park, but moving the 1924 Georgian-Revival manse is going to be a bitch. Kudos to the saviors of the historic Randolph-Lucas House in Buckhead, a stately manor built by the Fox Theatre's architect for the great-great-grandson of Thomas Jefferson. The new owners (and intrepid movers) are NewTown Partners, economic development consultants who focus on endangered historic properties. The mansion was slated for demolition but offered free of charge to anyone willing to shoulder the estimated $350,000 to haul it off site, in addition to the substantial costs of restoration. Once the house is rooted at its new home on an empty, tree-covered lot at 78 Peachtree Circle, near the High Museaum, it'll be the private residence of the company's founders, Christopher Jones and Roger Smith. Getting it there's going to be tricky.
Atlanta Intown reports the project team is in the process of coordinating the move with utility companies. Why? To temporarily relocate aerial utility lines as the home heads south on Peachtree. Closer to home, the team has arranged with One Museum Square, owners of the 1301 Peachtree Street lot, to allow a temporary road to be built on that property. The road will be necessary to ferry the home to its adjacent new plot. Despite the logistical headaches, Wright Mitchell, president of Buckhead Heritage, said, "This is a watershed moment for historic preservation in Atlanta."
A concrete date is pending, but project leaders expect the big move to happen later this summer. Here's hoping they don't decide to move the manse on a Friday afternoon. Let's hope these efforts set the new bar for protecting Atlanta's historic treasures.
· Historic Randolph-Lucas House moving to Ansley Park [Atlanta Intown]
· Anyone in the Market for a Free Peachtree Road Mansion? [Curbed Atlanta]
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