"Saved Haven" at Old Ivy Crossing
June 2005
Approximately 100 years ago, the area now known as North Buckhead was
considered the hunting ground for the sportsmen of Atlanta. The Ivey family built
a weekend or hunting lodge on what is soon to become "Old Ivy Crossing".
How do you save a historic landmark and not impede progress?????
The familiar grey house at the intersection of Ivy and Old Ivy Roads was
recently sold (for the token amount of $10) by developer Louis Reynaud to the
Mayersons who are having it moved 2 driveways away. The process involves
dismantling, moving the sections and reconstructing the house.
Front (L-R) Councilman Howard Shook, Samuel Mayerson, Leigh
Mayerson, Louis Reynaud, and Scott Harrison
Back (L-R) Marty Albar & child, Gary Collins |
Developer Louis Reynaud with Coy Mayerson |
Click pictures to enlarge them
A team of professionals has been assembled to accomplish this daunting
task:
 | Louis Reynaud, with Peachtree Gardens Development, Inc., is
stalling his project in order to save a bit of antiquity.
|
| Gary Collins ( a North Buckhead resident) and Marty Albar of
Stonebridge Development, LLC are overseeing the relocation and the
reconstruction of the old structure. They are working with JTM House
Movers out of Carrolton.
|
| Scott A. Harrison, an architect, and Susan B. Loftis, Landscape
Architect (another neighbor), are developing the design for the new location
of the "Haven" while connecting it to the Mayerson's current residence.
|
| The unusual nature of the venture required a mortgage consultant,
Steven Kopelman, who specializes in financing for the purchase and
renovation of historic property set for preservation. He is with First
Fidelity Funding and Mortgage Corp.
|
| Interest and involvement in "saving this haven " has become widespread.
City officials advising and helping with this project have been Howard
Shook, Norman Koplon, Chuck Adair and Randy Dupree.
The number of preservationists has become too numerous to mention but their
encouragement has certainly played a major part in the initial organization of
this endeavor. |
The dismantling of the "Haven" is occurring currently, and the actual move
should take place in several weeks. The entire process should take between
four to six months.
Watch for our progress at "Old Ivy Crossing".
Thanks for your interest,
Coy and Leigh Mayerson
Background on Old Ivy Crossing
In Susan Kessler Barnard's wonderful Buckhead history book,
Buckhead: A Place for All Time, she reports:
"In 1877 Rial Bailey Hicks bought Land Lot 99 from his father-in-law, Henry
Irby, for four thousand dollars, and when his children married, Hicks gave each
child twenty acres of land. When daughter Mary Ophelia (1838-1933) married Seaborn L. Ivey in November 1878, they were given land on the present-day
Ivey Road. When Alice Hicks married Seaborn's brother Russell, they were
given land on what is today Old Ivey Road. The original spelling was later
changed to Ivy." [page 53]
Barnard also says, "Later, Hicks became a schoolmaster and wore 'a tall hat
and a swallow-tail, long-tail coat the schoolmasters wore in those days' ...
Hicks built his home at the present junction of Ivy and Old Ivy roads, which in
the 1920s became known as Atlanta Heights." [page 30]
The first quote is ambiguous regarding land lots -- Land Lot 99 is the
western core of the Buckhead Village and is not part of North Buckhead.
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