2003 Tour Homes

566 North Peachtree Street – The Garner House

331 North Peachtree Street – The Louise Ivy House

237 North Peachtree Street – The Summerour House60 Buchanan Street – The Tom McDaniel House319 South Peachtree Street – The Davenport House

 

 

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566 North Peachtree Street – The Garner House

 

The winding drive, canopied by 100-year old oaks, is the perfect introduction to this classic American Foursquare Home built in the early 1900’s. The original nine acre homesite was conveyed to Huss Beutell in 1892. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Beutell built the home to include several unique features. One was a private water service, then almost unheard of in Norcross, complete with a private water tower and supply lines.

Mr. James Richard Garner purchased the home in 1930, living there with his family for the next 59 years. Mr. Garner owned the local grocery store which was known for its’ top grade meats. To serve that reputation, Mr. Garner constructed a barn, holding pen and a slaughter house. The first upgrade to the home was completed in 1947 by adding an oil fueled central heating system. This system efficiently replaced the old kerosene heaters that had warmed each bathroom and reduced the most important function served by the fireplaces.

When Lynn Buck visited the home for the first time and stepped onto the wide, welcoming front porch, it was love at first sight. There had been several owners between the Garners and the Bucks. However, the historical integrity of the home was intact and the renovations beautifully integrated. Entrance to the formal living room and master bedroom is enhanced by original carved pocket doors, the two rooms being graced by the original chandeliers. Each room in the home has a fireplace featuring the narrow tile surround typical of the era. The walnut mantel and glassed case overmantel in the dining room are particularly interesting and unique. A butler’s pantry between the dining room and renovated kitchen boasts its’ original glass door cabinetry. The kitchen itself is a sophisticated and delightful complement to the home’s nostalgic beauty.

Sweeping up to the second level is a lovely setback stairway with a landing. Its’ newal post is extraordinary in a wide, heavily carved walnut style that symbolizes the architecture of the era. Upstairs are three bedrooms, two baths, and a large “sleeping porch”. The sleeping porch is a delightful retreat featuring three walls of generous windows overlooking the lush back lawn.

One of the grandest homes in Historic Norcross, the home of Rob and Lynn Buck offers visitors a wonderful glance back in time while successfully embracing the modern lifestyle of a growing 21st century family.

331 North Peachtree Street – The Louise Ivy House

This Craftsman Bungalow, circa 1906, was built by Norcross attorney Don Johnson. Mr. Johnson and his wife enjoyed entertaining andthus designed their floor plan to accommodate an easy flow of guests throughout the home. Gaines Ivy purchased the home in 1926.

At the same time that the home was being constructed, Lela Louise Kelley Ivy was born April 17, 1905 in Lilburn, Georgia. She was the daughter of Dr. Charlie Kelley and Maggie Garner Kelley. Louise Ivy graduated Valedictorian in the first women’s class of the University of Georgia. She was a teacher and moved to Norcross where she married Gaines Ivy in 1928. Louise lived the rest of her life in this home.

Gaines Ivy, a descendant of Hardy Ivy, the first settler of Atlanta, Georgia, was born in Pinckneyville in 1901. He was a merchant in Norcross for 27 years as well as Mayor of Norcross and Justice of the Peace. Gaines and Louise Ivy had three children, Robert, Margaret and Kelley.

Pat and Beverly Eidt purchased the home in June, 2001. Although renovation was necessary, the charm and original details were left intact. A leaded glass front door swings open into the traditional style central hall. A unique stained glass window spills a colorful surprise in the formal dining room. The deep trims and moldings still glow throughout each room. Large pocket doors, discovered in the attic during renovation, have been carefully returned to their original place of sentry. The mantels and tiles that grace each of the five fireplaces are original to the home as well as heart of pine floors, plaster walls, windows, doors and hardware. Many of the light fixtures are original, while others were selected for their period authenticity.

The central hallway is repeated upstairs. A comfortable living space has been created that welcomes returning adult children and grandchildren and provides both work and play areas. Adding another bath completed the upstairs modifications.

Renovations have only added to this bungalow’s appeal. The updates are practically seamless. A bathroom on the first floor looks completely authentic highlighted by the original claw footed tub and sink. A new kitchen provides a touch of modernism that blends well with the adjacent butler’s pantry, which has an unusual walk-through design that is as functional today as it was almost 100 years ago. The sun porch was an important addition that provides functional living space and a relaxing retreat. From here one can enjoy the landscaped lawn and garden. Louise Ivy was an avid and renowned Norcross gardener and the Eidt’s are preserving as much as possible of her original design.

With the Craftsman detailing, the eclectic collection of antiques and shabby chic furnishings, every inch of this wonderful home is a treat to explore.

237 North Peachtree Street – The Summerour House

This lovely red brick house, with courses and cornices of white stone and trimmings of white painted woodwork, is popularly termed the Georgian Colonial style. This style became the rave in New England and the Southern Colonies during the 1700’s and early 1800’s. The Georgian Colonial style was a favorite of well to do colonists who wanted their homes to convey a sense of dignity and prestige. Spacious and comfortable, Georgian Colonial architecture reflected the rising ambition of a young country. Georgian Colonial was the preferred housing style of the prosperous, with a symmetry and grace that imitated the larger, more elaborate versions that were being built in England at the time.

The Summerour House is the only original Georgian Colonial in Historic Norcross. Built in 1922, it was the home of Ben Summerour, a cotton farmer whose vast fields have since become the lawns and golf courses of the Atlanta Athletic Club. Described by its’ present owners as “simple” in design, the classical symmetry and elegance have withstood the test of time. This home is as gracious today as it was when first built. Original period glass windows and the original hardwood floors are in pristine condition and the old plaster walls and high ceilings provide a lovely backdrop to the home’s comfortable décor. With the exception of the study, picture frame wainscoting and deep molding detail every room. In the study, you will find Kentucky walnut paneling which enriches the masculine setting.

Like the house itself, the furnishings are classic and inviting reflecting the owner’s appreciation of fine treasures. Old photographs and framed letters depicting the early history of the home and surrounding town create an interesting display in the study. Antique nature illustrations and Tole trays grace the walls. Collections of French Limoge, Beleek, old lace, and whimsical thimbles add dimension to the architectural beauty.

The home’s original gas lamps have been converted for daily use while wood burning fireplaces downstairs have been converted to gas. Upstairs, two working fireplaces still warm the rooms with burning coal, exactly as they did over 80 years ago. When the kitchen was recently renovated, a brick wall was uncovered and left exposed as a design element. Its’ presence suggests the room had been added at a later date. However, it could not have been much later as Ben Summerour’s empty cottonseed bags were used as the original insulation with more undoubtedly insulating walls throughout the home.

The classic design elements of Georgian Colonials extend into the back lawn landscaping where symmetry and the patina of time create a wonderful “outdoor room”, perfect for relaxing and entertaining. As if that were not enough, the original bricked pond and a rose laden arbor provide a delightful gateway to the “secret garden” surprise that lies beyond. Stepping over an imbedded millstone from Mr. Summerour’s cotton gin, one enters an oasis of wizened pecan trees, gracious oaks and ornamentals. These trees are the same ones that shaded the hired hands who gathered for meals at the huge stone fireplace that is still used today for outdoor festivities and cooking.

Although the owners were not wrong when describing their home and its grounds as “simple”, it would be a mistake to anticipate a lack of elegance. Rich in detail, with a stately presence that has endured the years, the Summerour House is indeed testimony to a time when “Cotton was King”, even on the outskirts of Atlanta.

60 Buchanan Street – The Tom McDaniel House

Every old house has a history that still whispers in its walls. This charming Victorian is no exception. The home was built in 1908 for Dr. Tom McDaniel, who was a pharmaceutical salesman. His wife, Miss Dixie, gave violin lessons in their home and was an accomplished pianist. For many years, they rented the upstairs rooms out to local school teachers. One tenant, Montine Moulder, enjoyed the comraderie and location so much that, when she left, it was only to buy the house next door. With renters, lessons and three growing children, the McDaniel House was undoubtedly the scene of much bustling activity. It was well known that Dr. Tom always dressed in his best attire including a bow tie and carried a walking stick to ward off the dogs when going to downtown Norcross.

From 1960-1968, this home was the Patterson Funeral Home providing gracious comfort to those in mourning. In the 1970’s, the effort began to return the home to its’ original state and design. Over the years, the home’s architectural integrity and Victorian beauty has been lovingly restored.

Today, the home of Doris and Tom Day is a refreshing oasis in faster paced times. Set off the main roads overlooking Norcross’ Thrasher Park, the home welcomes visitors with gas lamp posts, restored in the 1980’s, to light the way to a large wrapping porch that provides generous protection from both hot sun and rainy days. To the side, a huge beech tree, older than the house, keeps the front porch much cooler during the summer. The film industry has found this home perfect for shooting a movie and many regional and national commercials.

Inside, the wood detailing is remarkable, particularly in the dramatic staircases, one of which is unquestionably an engineering feat. How has it held in place, especially after all these years? It is a question everyone asks and marvels over as the suspension is as solid and graceful as it was when constructed. There are six coal burning fireplaces throughout the home. Huge pocket doors open and close effortlessly between the parlor and dining rooms. High ceilings, original wormwood floors and window panes give character to the downstairs level. Upstairs, knotless heart of pine planks denote a quality of flooring used only in the finer homes constructed in those times.

The owners have enhanced the home’s architectural appeal with their own touches of antiquity. An extensive Hummel plate collection decorates the dining room. In the kitchen eating area, an original Heyward Wakefield wicker furniture set, over 100 years old, looks as if it were made specifically for the room. A teacart that was one of Dr. McDaniel’s personal belongings claims a prominent place of honor. Many of the old pieces that grace the home have stories and histories the Days treasure and are glad to share.

Visiting the Dr. Tom McDaniel house is a delightful opportunity to step back in time and imagine the stories its’ walls have to tell, and to enjoy Victorian charm as if it were the standard of today, instead of the eloquence of yesteryear.

319 South Peachtree Street – The Davenport House

The architectural style of the Davenport House was considered quite contemporary when it was built in 1887. Victorian was the rage, yet the builder chose American Foursquare with features that were, for the time, very simple and straightforward. Typically, the style includes strong square massing, usually with foursquare rooms above threesquare rooms, and an entrance hall with stairs tucked unobtrusively to the side on the first floor, thus making it economical and practical to build. The Davenport House, however, originally had only one story. It was over twenty years later, in 1906, when the owners commissioned the original millwrights to add the second level. Every effort was made to ensure the new work and design would be seamless with the old.

This propensity for adding on and renovating has continued throughout subsequent generations, sculpting this home into the unique and interesting structure it is today. Originally, the rooms to the left of the entrance were used for formal occasions. The formal parlor was often used for wakes, as Historic Norcross had no funeral home at the time. The main difference between the formal rooms and the daily use rooms positioned on the right of the entrance hall is the architectural detailing. Typical of the times, the formal rooms boast more ornate molding and mantels and used coal burning fireplaces for warmth as opposed to the more simple wood burning fireplaces on the right. Another interesting feature would be the glass windows. Note how the windows facing the front of the street are larger and have fewer panes than the ones towards the back of the house. Glass was expensive and larger panes were an indication of the owner’s affluence. For much the same reason, the public downstairs rooms have higher ceilings than are found upstairs, 14 feet below compared to 10 foot ceilings in the private living quarters above.

The current owners have spent a great deal of time and personal energy in renovations. Original woodwork has been carefully stripped and stained, and floors have been refinished to their original beauty. When the hearths were being restored, $5 Civil War Bank Notes were discovered carefully tucked away. The back porch has been enclosed with a glass roof salvaged from an old solarium. This dramatic window now provides a panoramic view of the outside grounds.

Throughout the home, antique furniture and light fixtures have been thoughtfully collected to fit the home’s Arts & Crafts detailing. Every effort has been made to reflect this home’s original architectural character. The personality of its’ owners is a defining feature providing a sense of creativity and spontaneity that makes every inch of this home interesting to explore.