Resurrecting Neel Reid

“The house, which is hidden by trees on Vernon Road, is kind of a surprise at the end of the long driveway. It’s sort of humble and sweet as you approach it from that direction.”

“People know this house as it is viewed from Habersham Road. Nestled into the landscape and mostly hidden by trees, one can see only a small jewel box of a portico from the street, which is precisely how we wanted to build it back. Luckily, most of the vegetation around the house remained intact,” says Dixon.

“For the cornice in the entry hall, we added modillion blocks to give it a bit more robust architecture as you enter the house.”

“Particularly with the millwork, we took it back to that more classic 1920s approach,” says Dixon.

“In the previous dining room, all the trim work was stained, and we suggested they go with a painted chair rail and wainscoting and painted a chimney breast to offset the new zuber wallcovering.”

“A pedimented overdoor and overmantel were used in the living room and were inspired by Reid’s original design.” says Dixon.

“I love houses with lots of natural light, and this one has a great connection to the outside and the garden spaces beyond.”

When a devastating fire demolished one of Buckhead’s most treasured historic homes, the tragedy was transformed into a happy ending—even earning two elite architectural awards—thanks to the firm of D. Stanley Dixon Architect.

The Neel Reid–designed residence perched between Habersham and Vernon Roads was known to Gerry Hull since he was a boy. When it was razed to its foundation following the fire in 2014, it was scarcely a day before Hull, its owner for a decade, vowed to rebuild.

“There was no way I could have envisioned another house on this site,” he says.

“The Hulls called on us because of our experience and respect for renovations of other historic homes in the neighborhood,” firm principal Stan Dixon explains. “They knew we would have the right sensitivity to bring the house back to Neel Reid’s original intention.”

Dixon’s humble respect for Reid’s “classical, restrained and elegant” precedent was immediately evident—even if it required sacrificing some degree of his own creativity in the process.

“Reid had such a very strong sense of scale and proportion,” Dixon says, referencing the precise profiles of the architecture. So committed was Dixon to authenticity that—after extensively researching Reid’s original plans and drawings at the Atlanta History Center—he even insisted upon using reclaimed antique bricks, replicating original masonry joints and customizing windows with the same weighted pulley system as the 1920s originals.

Modern-day updates were mostly mechanical and electrical, with a few upscale flourishes—such as adding a new slate roof and replacing the 1848 Zuber wallpaper in the dining room.

“It is a source of joy for me to live in this house,” says Hull, the happiness of he and his wife, Patty, renewed. “I feel like its keeper, with a responsibility to maintain it not just for us but for everyone who passes by.”

ARCHITECTURE D. Stanley Dixon (404) 574-1430; dsdixonarchitect.com