The 1856 L.P. Grant Mansion: From Neglect to Restoration
How the Atlanta Preservation Center saved the City's oldest house and made it its home
A Short History
Calvin Fay designed the three-story, Italianate mansion, built between 1854-1856 for Lemuel Pratt Grant (1817-1893).
Portrait of Lemuel Pratt Grant (Reproduction) (2000) by UnknownThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
In 1843, Grant invested in land in what is now Southeast Atlanta, paying from $.75 to $2 an acre, and built his home in the center of his 600+ acres.
Laura Loomis Williams Grant ("circa 1850s") by UnknownThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Laura Loomis Williams Grant, of Decatur, Georgia.
This portrait and frame, painted in the 1850s, are both original to the home.
Rebel Works in Front of Atlanta, Georgia, No. 1 (negative September 1864; print 1866) by George N. BarnardThe J. Paul Getty Museum
During the American Civil War (1861-1865), the City of Atlanta's defensive fortifications were designed in the L.P. Grant Mansion. The house also served as a hospital.
Bird's eye view of Atlanta, Fulton Co., State capital, Georgia. (1892) by Augustus Koch, Hughes Litho. Co., and Saunders and Kline.The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The City of Atlanta in 1892.
Pictured at center is the L.P. Grant Mansion in 1892. Grant, originally from Maine, became a city pioneer, railroad magnate and philanthropist.
Postcard: One of the Bridges in Grant Park, Atlanta, Ga. (1908) by The Georgia News CompanyThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
In 1883, Grant donated 100 acres to the City of Atlanta for the establishment of a city park open and available to residents of any race, creed or color. John C. Olmsted planned numerous improvements to the park in 1909.
The L.P. Grant Mansion as it originally stood ("circa 1856, photographed 1900") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The L.P. Grant Mansion, photographed circa 1900. The italianate style home stood three stories tall with four porches and sat on over 600 acres of land in what is today the Grant Park neighborhood.
Robert Tyre 'Bobby' Jones ("photographed circa 1915 to 1920") by Bain News Service and Library of CongressThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The Grant Mansion is also the 1902 birth place of golf legend Robert Tyre 'Bobby' Jones.
From Neglect to Near Demolition
Beginning in the 1940s, neglect, fire damage, and more took their toll on the antebellum home, destroying the second and third floors.
Fire damage to the foyer of the L.P. Grant Mansion ("built circa 1854-1856, photographed circa 1970s") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Beginning in the 1940s, neglect, fires, and other damage took their toll on the L.P. Grant Mansion.
An original mantle in the L.P. Grant Mansion during period of neglect and destruction ("mantle circa 1856, photographed circa 1970s") by Mirror Marble Mantle Company, Roxbury MassachussettsThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
This mantle, original to the house, sat in the yard for nearly three decades until the Atlanta Preservation Center excavated it during restoration and returned it to its original location.
The L.P. Grant Mansion's west wing before restoration (1856) by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
By 2000, the once grand Italianate home was but a shell of its former self.
The library fireplace at the L.P. Grant Mansion prior to restoration ("circa 1856, photographed 2002") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The master bedroom of the Grant Mansion prior to restoration. Golf legend Bobby Jones was born in this room in 1902. Exterior and interior walls were constructed with field stone and brick.
The east wing/drawing room of the L.P. Grant Mansion prior to restoration. ("circa 1856, photographed 2002") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The second and third floors of the Grant Mansion were destroyed by fire and neglect in the 1970s. Only the first floor survived. By 2000, the Grant Mansion faced demolition for two new homes.
The L.P. Grant Mansion (east exterior) prior to restoration ("circa 1856, photographed 2002") by Calvin Fay (design) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Over four decades of neglect, fires, and other damage left the 1856 L.P. Grant Mansion in a significantly compromised state by 2000. Plans were filed to demolish the home and build two new houses.
Renaissance: A New Chapter for the L.P. Grant Mansion
Photo: The Atlanta Preservation Center's first 'Open House' in March 2002.
The restoration and rebuilding of the east wall of the L.P. Grant Mansion ("circa 1856, photographed 2002/2003") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (original builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
By spring 2006, Southern Preservation Systems and the Atlanta Preservation Center had restored the walls and covered the exterior with a scratch coat that matched the original color of the house.
Restoration of the floor joists in the east wing of the L.P. Grant Mansion ("circa 1856, photographed mid 2000s") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Phase II included the full restoration of the first floor, which included rebuilding the floor joists, the subfloor, and laying of reclaimed heart pine flooring.
Original features still remained after decades of neglect, fire, and other damage, including original heart pine window casings, as pictured above in the drawing room of the L.P. Grant Mansion.
Years of exposure to weather elements, fire damage, including the loss of the roof and upper floors, left many original architectural features in various states of deterioration.
In 2008, the Atlanta Preservation Center began the next restoration phase with included restoring the historic windows in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
Beyond the window restoration, Southern Preservation Systems covered the exterior with a scratch coat that matches the original color of the house.
The historic windows were restored per the National Park Service Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
Delivery of the columns used in restoring the front and back porches (2009/2011) by N/AThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The arrival of the columns used in rebuilding the front porch.
The west wing of the L.P. Grant Mansion during restoration (1856) by N/AThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Phased restoration continued in the library of the Grant Mansion. Original features such as the heart pine window casings were preserved while a new roof and floor were reconstructed and reinstalled.
Rebuilding of the historic front porch at the L.P. Grant Mansion ("1856, restored 2000s") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Reconstruction of the historic front and back porches of the Grant Mansion commenced in 2011. The italianate home originally boasted four porches.
Restored window at the L.P. Grant Mansion, including the original granite sill. ("circa 1856, photographed 2019") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Southern Preservation Systems covered the exterior with a scratch coat that matched the original color of the house. Calvin Fay's 150 plus year old correspondence with Godfrey Barnsley preserves the original recipe for the Grant Mansion's exterior stucco
Exterior historic window at the L.P. Grant Mansion (1856) by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Pictured above are two original studs that would have attached to one of the four porches originally on the house.
Original fireplace and restored historic windows in the Bobby Jones Room at the L.P. Grant Mansion (1856) by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
Originally the Master Bedroom, the room is also the site of the 1902 birth place of legendary golfer, Bobby Jones.
Original mantelpiece at the L.P. Grant Mansion (1856) by UnknownThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The L.P. Grant Mansion originally included nine fireplaces. This mantelpiece is one of the only remaining original pieces that survived over four decades of neglect, fires, and other damage in the twentieth century.
Restored windows in the Bobby Jones room at the L.P. Grant Mansion ("circa 1856, restored in 2008") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (original builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The windows were rehabilitated in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.
An original mantle in the Grant Mansion, photographed circa 1970s. This mantle came from the Mirror Marble Mantle Company of Roxbury, Massachussetts.
This same mantle was placed in the side yard for some thirty years. The Atlanta Preservation Center excavated, restored and returned the mantle to its original location in the home's library.
The Library of the L.P. Grant Mansion with original remaining brick and plaster (1856) by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The original walls are coated in plaster. Both exterior and interior walls were constructed of field stones/rubble and brick. There are no studs or other supports within the walls. The Grant Mansion's ceilings are thirteen feet high.
The Grant Mansion east wing/drawing room prior to resstoration ("circa 1856, photographed 2001") by Lemuel Pratt GrantThe Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The L.P. Grant Mansion in 2002.
The Drawing Room of the L.P. Grant Mansion ("circa 1856, photographed 2019") by Calvin Fay (architect) and L.P. Grant (builder)The Atlanta Preservation Center, Inc.
The L.P. Grant Mansion today.
The Atlanta Preservation Center, M.H. Mitchell, Inc., Library of Congress.
