Those most unwelcome winter visitors, snow and ice, have thrown a wrench in a commendable renovation project across the street from Piedmont Park. The Craigie House and its four Corinthian columns have prided over Piedmont Avenue for more than a century, but the columns and front porch are basically all that remains after large accumulations of Devil's Dandruff/Connecticut Confetti partially collapsed the structure Wednesday night. Luckily, no one was inside at the time, but the collapse will be a setback for a renovation project just getting under way, one that aimed to resuscitate Ansley Park's most opulent eyesore. A husband-wife team bought the Craigie House last year for $350,000 with plans to flip it into a single-family home. One owner told WSB the renovation will still move forward. After all, this isn't the first time Mother Nature has whacked this money pit.
Built in 1911 by the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the home hosted the group's Atlanta chapter for decades. But when a large magnolia tree came crashing through the north side of the building in the 1980s, the DAR chapter deemed the damage too severe and left. While historic, the property did not have any historic protections, so razing was a real possibility. It had sat vacant and rotting for nearly three decades, until the sale last year.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle interviewed one of the new owners after the sale last year. The Atlanta native and managing principal for a commercial real estate company extolled the property's past and potential: "We've always loved that beautiful place. We look forward to being responsible for bringing it back ... It was such a sad thing to drive by and see it continue to deteriorate."
· Historic Atlanta building partially collapses [WSBTV]
· After historic Craigie House collapse, restaurateur thankful for 'little voice' [AJC]
· Wrecking Ball Avoided For Midtown's Historic Craigie House [Curbed Atlanta]
Loading comments...