NPU-B chair fears publicity seeking getting in the way of saving Buckhead's historic Randolph-Lucas House

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Neighborhood Planning Unit B chair Sally Silver tried Tuesdaynight to set the record straight on where negotiations might be on saving theBuckhead landmark, the Randolph-Lucas House at 2500 Peachtree Road, from thebeing demolished.

The Urban Design Commission’s agenda for Oct. 24 includes theitem for a demolition permit for the property at 2494 Peachtree Road, in frontof the 2500 Peachtree Road condominiums.

Silver said it does not mean it is going to be “demo’ed”because the same permit is required to move a building as is required todemolish it.

NPU-B chair Sally Silver

Silversaid she is working with groups interested in preserving the home, but said therewill be no formal announcements until all of the details are finalized.
“Thecondo association is in no way shape or form threatening to tear down thebuilding,” Silver said.
TheRandolph-Lucas House, a mansion located at 2494 Peachtree Road, is part of thePeachtree Heights Park District, a nationally recognized historic site. HollinsNichols Randolph, a prominent Atlanta attorney, built the red brick residencein 1924.
The2500 Peachtree Condominiums Association, the current owner of the house, hiredan engineering firm who found the house isn’t structurally sound.
Whenthe original developer built the condominiums in 1997, one of the stipulationsof the permit was moving the house 35 feet forward from its foundation and torenovate it. After the developer finished the project the condo market tankedand the developer only sold 50 percent of the units. The bank foreclosed on theproperty.

The Randolph--Lucas House with the 2500 Peachtree Condos behind it. 

Thehome has sat virtually untouched since the development of the condos. Theassociation, citing the condition of the structure and cost of repairs, beganexploring the demolition permit, prompting a backlash from historians andNeighborhood Planning Unit B members.
“The condo association [2500 Peachtree CondominiumAssociation Inc.] has no intention at this time to demo the building,” Silver toldher fellow board members of Neighborhood Planning Unit B Tuesday night.  “I believe they are very earnest in wanting towork this out.” 
She said there are “ongoing negotiations” and“three possible announcements” regarding new ownership and re-location of thehistoric house. However, she added, unlike others in the community, sheis not going to talk about the opportunities until there are signatures on thebottom line.
That reference, was seemingly aimed at Wright Mitchell, whohas been feeding various media with stories about the potential to move thehouse, the condo association’s refusal to allow inspections of the house andhaving 10-15 people interested in moving the house to new sites in order topreserve it.

Buckhead Heritage Society Executive Director Erica
Danylchak with president Wright Mitchell at the June
meeting of Neighborhood Planning Unit B. 

Mitchell is the head of the Buchead Heritage Society andthere is some concern that he may be trying to use this issue to garnerpublicity for his organization and himself.
Mitchell has claimed that he has an offer to move the houseto a new location for $350,000 if someone will pay the bill. He also has toldthe media that the 2500 Peachtree Road Condominium Association, which owns thehouse, will not allow an inspection of the building to determine what repairsmight need to be done to bring it up to city code.
Mitchell has said all of those interested in the building wantto know what repairs will be required to make it usable before agreeing to payto move it.
Silver told the Neighborhood Planning Unit B board Tuesdaynight that the $350,000 fee Mitchell keeps quoting to move the house is to moveit to Vine City. “That is on the west side of Atlanta near the Georgia Dome.”Silver said. “No one in Buckhead is interested in moving the house to VineCity.”
But Wright Mitchell has been very active in reaching out tothe media—11 Alive News, the Northside Neighbor, Buckhead Patch and theBuckhead Reporter—about his efforts to save the house.

Attorney Hakim Hilliard formerly
represented the condo group and
appeared at NPU-B's June meeting. 

According to Silver, the one group he has not reached out tois the 2500 Peachtree Condominium Association which owns the house.
Clearly the condo association initially wanted to tear downthe house. According to Silver, the association also was duped about thepossible use of the house by the original condo developer. Theysoon discovered that the house did not have a certificate of occupancy andcould not be used for any purpose.
But, Silver claims that she has met frequently with the condoassociation and is convinced it would prefer to have the house moved andpreserved than to demolish it.
Silverwants to see the home moved, preserved, but remain in Buckhead, where it is apart of the community’s history. The Heritage Society also would like for thehouse to stay in the neighborhood, if possible.
“Wewould like to see it stay in Buckhead, but we don’t want to see it torn down,”Mitchell said. “So if it we have a choice between seeing it torn down andmoving outside of Buckhead, we would certainly entertain offers to move itoutside of Buckhead.”

Editor's Note: Late Wednesday night, Wright Mitchell, head of the Buckhead Heritage Society, emailed the following letter to BuckheadView in response to the above story: 

I am happy to talk to anyone about the Lucas House who will listen. One of our goals at Buckhead Heritage is to raise awareness of Buckhead's historic resources, especially those that are threatened with destruction.

The condo association has submitted a Review and Comment Application with the Atlanta Urban Design Commission that will be heard on October 10th at 4 p.m. at City Hall. The condo association is seeking "review and comment" on their plan to demolish the Lucas House and replace it with an "open air pavilion". I have the application and a copy of the site plans for the pavilion if you are interested. As required by the relevant ordinance, they have also cross filed with the Atlanta Office of Buildings for a demolition permit according to the City of Atlanta Attorneys' Office. 

Since the AUDC has only "review and comment" authority over historic structures like the Lucas House, they do not have the authority to stop the demolition of the house and the subsequent erection of a pavilion. Similarly, the Office of Buildings cannot deny an application for a demolition permit provided the requirements of the "review and comment" process at the AUDC level have been met. And it appears that they have.

Since the condo association is represented by counsel, I am ethically prohibited from contacting them. As such, I can only interpret their actions for what they appear to be, and those actions are consistent with an organization seeking to tear down the Lucas House. Notably, the filing with the AUDC makes no reference to moving the house but only replacing it with an open air pavilion.

Rather than demolish the house, however, we are hopeful that the condo association will work with any party that comes forward with an interest in moving the house. Whether that party is identified by Sally Silver or Buckhead Heritage is not of any real importance to us as long as the house is saved.

Thanks for covering important issues like this in Buckhead. Wright Mitchell
President 
Buckhead Heritage