The Governor's Mansion is the official home of the governor of the U.S. state of Georgia. The mansion is located at 391 West Paces Ferry Road NW, in the Tuxedo Park neighborhood of the affluent Buckhead district of Atlanta.

Construction

The current Governor's Mansion is on property that belonged to former Atlanta mayor Robert Maddox (no relation to Lester Maddox), who owned a large English Tudor-style home on the site. A fire destroyed a large part of the house and Mr. Maddox sold the property to the state. The remainder of the home was demolished to construct the current mansion.

The Governor's Mansion is a three-level, 30-room, Greek Revival style home built in 1967. It stands on approximately 18 acres (73,000 m<sup>2</sup>) on historic West Paces Ferry Road in north-northwest Atlanta. It was designed by Georgia architect A. Thomas Bradbury and officially opened on January 1, 1968.

In 1975, the mansion was heavily damaged in a tornado that struck west and then north Atlanta on the morning of March 24, occurring just a week after Governor Busbee moved in after his inauguration, and necessitating a renovation. It also led to the tornado being called the "governor's tornado", Tours are conducted throughout the year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10:00&nbsp;a.m. and 11:30&nbsp;a.m. Reservations are needed for groups of 10 or more. There is no charge.

Previous mansions

Georgia has had three official mansions and one unofficial mansion in two different cities:

  • The first Executive Mansion (1838–1868) is located in Milledgeville. Now known as the "Old Governor's Mansion", it is a museum and open for public tours.
  • The state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868 and the first gubernatorial residence was unofficial, a three-story building on the east side of Peachtree Street, between Ellis and Baker streets, owned by Charles Larenden.
  • In 1870, the first official mansion in Atlanta was purchased from John H. James at Cain (now Andrew Young Intl. Blvd.) and Peachtree and its first occupant was Rufus Bullock. Seventeen governors occupied this large Victorian home until Governor Dorsey vacated the increasingly rundown building for his summer home near the Atlanta Water Works in 1921. The old James home was demolished in 1923 and the Henry Grady Hotel was later built on that site, which is now occupied by the Westin Peachtree Plaza.
  • In 1925, the state acquired the granite mansion and estate of Edwin Ansley, located at The Prado in Ansley Park. The estate housed 11 governors before it was vacated and demolished in 1968.

Notes

References

  • Office of the Governor, Georgia State Capitol, Atlanta, GA 30334
  • Official website of the Georgia Governor's Mansion
  • Pictures of first Governor's mansion in Atlanta