Anyone ever visit "The Atlanta Museum?" (Rufus M. Rose House in SoNo, Peachtree Street) (Decatur: sale, real estate)

[koko339]

This house fascinates me for a number of reasons:

It's in the black hole known as "SoNo"

It's one the sole surviving single family homes on Peachtree in Midtown

It has a unique style and configuration for Atlanta, saddling right up to the sidewalk like in Northeastern cities.

It's had a number of uses over the years, serving from 1945-1998 as antique shop/Atlanta Museum. According to Wikipedia...

In 1945, James H. Elliot, Sr., bought the house and used it as an antique store and museum, which he named J.H. Elliot's Antiques and the Atlanta Museum. Open to the public, the museum contained furniture belonging to Margaret Mitchell, personal items of Bobby Jones, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie’s throne, a Japanese Zero war plane and many other notable items. After more than 50 years, the store and museum closed in 1998.

So my question is - did anyone ever visit the museum when it was open? What'd you think about it?
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/17/Rufus_Rose_House_1.jpg/250px-Rufus_Rose_House_1.jpg (broken link)
Rufus M. Rose House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[americancoffee]

I never went in the house but I do remember driving by it when it was still in operation. I remember seeing antiques in the windows and wondering what kind of eccentric person ran the place lol.

[arjay57]

That's where Four Roses liquor started out.

[Iconographer]

I went in there once with my godfather, when it was Elliott's Antiques; he was having some andirons appraised, and I wandered around the store. Fascinating; I remember most the vast Nazi memorabilia collection.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by arjay57

That's where Four Roses liquor started out.

Really? Fascinating. I would love for you to elaborate.

[ericsonga]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

Really? Fascinating. I would love for you to elaborate.

I thought this was pretty interesting:

American Whiskey: A Visit to The Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky

[koko339]

Originally Posted by LovinDecatur

I went in there once with my godfather, when it was Elliott's Antiques; he was having some andirons appraised, and I wandered around the store. Fascinating; I remember most the vast Nazi memorabilia collection.

Really-how odd . I would love to think we could save this one but it's gonna take a lotta dough to get it up to code. And then there's the question of who would use it. I almost wish the Atlanta Preservation Center had stayed there instead of moving to Grant Park. It guess it has the same problem as the "Castle" up Peachtree near the High: great building, bad condition, difficulty making financial sense, lack of creativity when it comes to re-using these kinds of buildings.

[Iconographer]

Originally Posted by koko339

Really-how odd . I would love to think we could save this one but it's gonna take a lotta dough to get it up to code. And then there's the question of who would use it. I almost wish the Atlanta Preservation Center had stayed there instead of moving to Grant Park. It guess it has the same problem as the "Castle" up Peachtree near the High: great building, bad condition, difficulty making financial sense, lack of creativity when it comes to re-using these kinds of buildings.

Part of the problem is location; 'SoNo' is not exactly up and coming. The Castle, however, did make a successful re-adaptation...despite Mayor young's contempt for the building at the time.

[koko339]

Good point: giving SoNo a trendy name has done nothing to make it more inviting IMO. As I understand, the Castle is still empty but was fairly recently purchased by an investor who specializes in historic property. I haven't heard yet what his/her plans are.

[koko339]

Also, found the Rose House on this list -
Atlanta magazine A Historic Preservation Wish List



1. Built in 1947, the Atlanta Constitution Building was the newspaper’s home for only a few years. After the Atlanta Journal bought the Constitution, Georgia Power took it over, but it’s been vacant since 1972. The City of Atlanta is now working with GDOT on plans to demolish it and build a multimodal passenger terminal. It’s one of the city’s last art moderne creations, though; petitions to save it are plentiful.





2. Though Palms Hotel owner Legacy Property Group is still in the idea phase, CAP envisions the developers—who oversaw the transformation of the Glenn Hotel—turning this midcentury former Ramada, with its sawtooth roof and courtyard pool, into the likes of a swinging hotel. It has “great bones,” says Legacy president David Marvin. Plans have stalled, though, due to the economy.



3. The sixties-era United Methodist Center housed offices of the denomination’s leaders, such as the state bishop, as well as the historic stained glass windows from the 1902-founded Wesley Memorial Methodist Church. Now, CAP sees its octagonal chapel as a restaurant and its adjoining tower as offices or a boutique hotel, should anyone pony up Inman Park Properties’ $2.9 million asking price.





4. The Medical Arts Building, a 1927 former beaux arts beauty built by local architect Geoffrey Lloyd Preacher (who also designed City Hall), has decayed into an eyesore since its mid-nineties abandonment. Latest owners—developer Anosh Ishak, attorney Ephraim Spielman, and art publishers Daniel and Kamy Deljou—got it for $5.25 million. Economy-pending visions include a medical office or hotel.


5. This seashell-pale monolith stretching along Spring Street looks modern despite its 1912 born-on date. It served as part of Norfolk Southern’s headquarters until a move to Midtown in 2004. Norfolk doesn’t necessarily need to rush a sale—it’s owned the land so long a mortgage is a nonissue—though the company is open to development options. CAP wishes the spot would be converted into residences.




6. The Rufus M. Rose House, built by a liquor purveyor in 1901 for $9,000, is now one of Peachtree Street’s last remaining private homes. Over the years, it’s sheltered the Atlanta Preservation Center and the Atlanta Museum. The current owner’s restoration plans fell through; it’s now on the market for $1.15 million. Another half million would whip it into shape, perhaps as an office or restaurant.




7. A hundred or so years ago, the Gulch was formed when viaducts were built to aid traffic flow over the rail lines. It’s now a fifteen-acre asphalt El Dorado of prime real estate, and owner Norfolk Southern is open to sale or development options. CAP would like to see the Gulch capped with greenspace and a continued street grid. Parking (it’s a favorite spot for Falcons fans) would be preserved underground.




8. CAP wants to replace the disco-era Five Points MARTA Station’s concrete lid with a glass-enclosed set of stairs to the platforms and an inviting “people space,” which would further its Green Line plan to “stitch together” Downtown. But MARTA assistant general manager of planning Cheryl King says it won’t happen soon: “The vision is good. But we just don’t have the resources to do that right now.”




9. After developer Emory Morsberger lost 222 Mitchell Street—a former bank built in phases from 1929 to 1970—to foreclosure last year, Orinda Corporation and Octagon Capital Partners bought the property with cash. The group’s planned $35 million renovation would turn the structure into lofts, offices, retailers, and (feeding off nearby Castleberry Hill) art galleries by 2011.
K

10. In 1964, Wheat Street Baptist Church got a federal loan to establish the Wheat Street Gardens, the country’s first apartment complex founded by a black church. The Wheat Street Charitable Foundation now plans a $100 million redevelopment of the eleven acres that will pay tribute to its original “live, work, play” mission, says president Rhonda Brown, including affordable apartments and retailers.


6. The Rufus M. Rose House, built by a liquor purveyor in 1901 for $9,000, is now one of Peachtree Street’s last remaining private homes. Over the years, it’s sheltered the Atlanta Preservation Center and the Atlanta Museum. The current owner’s restoration plans fell through; it’s now on the market for $1.15 million. Another half million would whip it into shape, perhaps as an office or restaurant.