House of the Week

Evolution of a House


This was my grandparents' house when I was growing up in Atlanta in the late 1960's and 1970's. It is located on one of Buckhead's prettiest streets. I thought it would be fun to see how the house has evolved over the years.

My grandparents bought the house in 1967 and hired architect Henri Jova to redesign the house. Here is what it looked like when they bought it:



Here it is after Henri Jova's improvements:





I have so many fond memories of big family dinners at the house. In the large area between the back terrace and the pool area there was a pea gravel courtyard. We all used to play for hours in the pea gravel, but I remember how much it hurt your feet when you walked on it barefoot. I learned to swim in the pool:



A close up of the pool house - my grandmother is on the left, and the zebra painting is an early work by artist Helen Durant (who is my aunt):



Here is the house today. The driveway now swings across the large front yard.





I have always loved the pair of double bay windows, the Chippendale railing over the wings and the red door.







Isn't it fun to see how the house has changed over the years? It is a beautiful piece of property in a beautiful neighborhood. I wonder if there is still a pool and if there is, what it looks like now?