Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein

Renovation of The Margaret Mitchell House

Atlanta, Georgia

As one of Atlanta's most well known landmarks, The Margaret Mitchell House stands on the corner of Peachtree Street and 10th Avenue in Midtown Atlanta. Considering the troubled history of the structure, it is amazing that it is standing at all. Originally, the home was built by Cornelius Sheehan as a private residence in 1899. Later it was turned into an apartment house and precariously moved approximately forty feet back from Peachtree Street. Margaret Mitchell lived in the bottom floor apartment, which she fondly referred to as "the Dump," from 1925 until 1932. During these years she wrote, "Gone with the Wind."

After Mitchell's residency, the house fell into disrepair until it partially burned, for the first time, in 1993. The following year, the German company Daimler-Benz donated $5 million toward its restoration and operation. Only weeks away from its completion, an arsonist set it on fire and damaged the building again.

Finally, it has been restored to emphasize the structure's unusual history. From the Peachtree Street view, the home has been restored to appear as it did as a private residence in the 1890's. From the Crescent Avenue side, it appears as it did when Margaret Mitchell lived there in the 1920's. Margaret Mitchell's apartment has been furnished with period furniture and can be toured.

The Margaret Mitchell House was declared a city landmark in 1989, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. It is now open to the public.

Completion: 1997

Publications:
   Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 1995
   Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 1997
   Historic Preservation Magazine, March/April 1982

Image 1 © David fine Photography
All Other Images © Phillip Spears