Newspaper Page Text
BUCKHEAD
Historic Buckhead mansion demolished
despite efforts to save it
BY DYANA BAG BY
The nearly century-old Whispering Pines
mansion on Buckhead’s West Paces Ferry
Road has been torn down despite efforts by
residents and preservationists to save it.
Buckhead.com first reported the news of
the demolition on Aug. 23.
The demolition followed the sale of
the property by Atlanta-based The Macal
lan Group to a newly formed Athens-based
company, Westlake WPFf Ffolding LLC.
What Westlake WPFf Ffolding LLC plans
for the site is not yet known.
“Whispering Pines was one of the icon
ic West Paces Ferry estate homes,” Atlan
ta Councilmember Mary Norwood said in
a written statement. “I am heartsick that we
have lost it.”
The Macallan Group purchased Whisper
ing Pines and several adjacent parcels at the
intersection of West Paces Ferry Road and
Northside Drive as part of an 11-acre assem
blage. The company planned to build a cul-
de-sac with eight new single-family homes.
But neighborhood groups, the Atlanta Pres
ervation Center and Norwood entered talks
with the group to see if there was a way to
save the mansion built in 1928.
The Macallan Group filed for and re
ceived a demolition permit for Whispering
Pines in May, city records show. The compa
ny then let Norwood and others know in an
Aug. 22 email that despite their talks, it had
sold the property and would no longer be
involved in its development. Crews showed
up the next day, Aug. 23, and began tearing
down Whispering Pines.
“The Macallan Group believes that the
sale of the property will provide a fresh look
at different development options for this
site, and they look forward to seeing how the
land will ultimately be developed in the fu
ture,” said Mike Minutelli, co-founder and
managing Partner of The Macallan Group,
in an email.
Whispering Pines was built in 1928 by re
nowned architectural firm Pringle & Smith
and was the home of Ffarrison Jones, chair
man of the board of Coca-Cola, and then his
son Gordon Jones, president of Fulton Na
tional Bank.
“Many areas in our city have protections
for their neighborhoods. Unfortunately, my
e Atlanta Journal-Constitution
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An excavator at the Whispering Pines
mansion last month. The historic mansion at
660 West Paces Ferry Road was demolished
despite attempts to save it. (Dyana Bagby)
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own Council District, District 8, does not,”
Norwood said.
“Neighborhoods in Buckhead have tried
to get protections — beginning in 1974 with
West Paces Ferry, and then my own neigh
borhood of Tuxedo Park in 1990,” she said.
“This [demolition of Whispering Pines] is
the result. All of us who care about Atlan
ta — its history, its architectural treasures, and
its beautiful neighborhoods—are devastated
with this loss.”
David Yoakley Mitchell, executive direc
tor of the Atlanta Preservation Center, said
the demolition of Whispering Pines should
be a “sobering moment” for everyone in At
lanta.
“This is not this is not just one part of
the city,” he said. “This is a city issue, and
we need to start having our values for our
communities really made apparent, includ
ing protections.
“Each community is going to be repre
sented by different architecture, by differ
ent structures, by different spaces,” Mitchell
said. “But the collection is what gives At
lanta its identity. These are not simply old
buildings or old structures that we keep out
of some sense of guilt, but we maintain and
preserve out of duty to make sure that peo
ple understand who and what we are now
and forever.”
LENOX ROAD COMPLETE STREET PHASE III
SR 141 Conn from CS 7005/Phipps Blvd to SR 237 - Phase III : PI # 0017981
Virtual Public Meeting Notice
Phase III of the Buckhead CID’s Lenox Road Complete Street project entails the design of an elevated
pedestrian and bicycle connection over the GA400 / Lenox Road interchange and additional bicycle and
pedestrian connectivity. The project termini are Piedmont Road on the west and Phipps Boulevard on the
east. This project will connect with the PATH400 greenway trail as well as provide public access to the
north end of the future HUB404.
Please join the virtual meeting on September 19, 2022, from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM to learn more about
the project and provide feedback on the project’s draft concepts. To access the meeting, please use the
following zoom link:
https ://us02web.zoom. us/i/82112997243
A two-week web-based input period will follow the virtual public meeting allowing those who were unable
to participate in the live meeting to review meeting materials and provide feedback online. The input period
will run from September 20, 2022,to October 4, 2022, and will be accessible through the project website:
https://www.buckheadcid.com/lenoxroadpublicforum
* To request an accommodation or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact
Sarah Beddington by September 14, 2022 at 404-955-2449 or
sarah.beddinaton@bluecvpress-consultina.com.
For additional details on the project or public meeting contact Matt Gore, Projects
and
Programs Manager, 404-842-2686 or MGore@buckheadcid.com
Visit our website to learn more about the project and provide input:
https://www.buckheadcid.com/lenoxroadpublicforum
6 SEPTEMBER 2022 | REPORTER NEWSPAPERS
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