With its deep front yard and long driveway sweeping up from West Paces Ferry Road, the Italian baroque mansion in Buckhead known as the Pink Palace is so majestic, it makes the governor’s residence a couple of houses over look cheap and plain.
But according to plans filed with Atlanta, its new owner wants to raze part of the dwelling and subdivide its 3.5-acre lot into three parcels; a new home in the front yard could block the view of the mansion from Paces Ferry. Some neighbors and preservationists are aghast.
The owner, Thierry Francois, has promised to restore the house to its original grandeur, removing the rear portion – a 1980s add-on that’s not in the original 1926 plans – and making it more “homey” for his family.
Francois paid $4.3 million for the mansion this spring and said that he’s already spent $150,000 removing the cream-colored paint and restoring its Venetian stucco, so it really is pink again. Still, he’s being criticized.
“Is nothing sacred in Atlanta?” Regina Snoderly Fielder asked on the Facebook page of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
“While we appreciate that the new owner has not planned to completely tear this incredible house down, seeing this beautiful home … losing its designed facade and approach from Paces Ferry is still heartbreaking,” James Ottley, a board member of the Buckhead Heritage Society, told the AJC.
If the city grants Francois’ requests, Ottley said he hoped it becomes “a tipping point for residents in Buckhead to discuss and take action on how to best save landmark sites like this in the near future.”
Is the Pink Palace worth the uproar, or should the owner be allowed his private property rights to do as he pleases? Tell us what you think. Send comments by email to: communitynews@ajc.com
A coalition of public and private entities in Fayette County is developing a new marketing image for the area to cultivate new business and attract a younger and more diverse population. Already known for good schools and a thriving film industry, Fayette has adopted a new logo and tagline, “Create Your Story,” as part of the Fayette Visioning Initiative’s five-year rebranding plan. However, there are differing opinions as to whether and how Fayette should change, and which demographics it should prioritize. Many older residents prefer the county’s more traditional rural character, but younger professionals like more connected live-work areas and easy access to Atlanta’s amenities.
Here’s what some residents had to say about the effort:
Not only is Pinewood Studios and their neighboring residential development creating a buzz among the creative artist types to check us out, but the increasing number of younger-focused activities and events in our county have become more relevant in attracting this group. Even from my perspective as mayor of Woolsey, the smallest town in Fayette County, we have seen a recent increase in home ownership among the "under 40" families in our community. These folks seem to be drawn not only by the increasing career and entertainment opportunities like I've mentioned, but also the attraction of a quiet and more expansive homestead to raise their families. — Gary Laggis
The idea of attracting more people, and especially more young people, to Fayette County is counterproductive when the county's infrastructure — including congested roads, septic tanks and even unpaved roads— is already inadequate. Fayette cannot be an island unto itself when it is right next to Atlanta, a city that provides a great many Fayette citizens substantial job opportunities. Yet its people have long been deprived of transit options that make it easier to commute into Atlanta. Fayette cannot control the composition of its population, but it could influence it for the better by working on providing suitable options for access to the job, education and cultural opportunities of the metropolitan area that it's in. – Claude Paquin
Here in Fayette there is an increasing racial divide among our growing aging population and our relatively steady school-aged population. Moving forward, we have to recognize that maintaining a healthy local economy means becoming a more overtly welcoming place. That's what makes the #createyourstory brand great. We honor the storyteller as the source of the wisdom and lessons of our ancestors while celebrating our common story as humans working and living and loving and striving to make things better for our children and our community. – Leonard Presberg, Fayette County Board of Education
Jill Howard Church for the AJC
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