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J. H. Hieronymus built the carriage house in 1908 at
his new house at 607 N. W. Vine Street when he moved from his farm
into Atlanta. Mr. Hieronymus was a farmer and one of the founders of
the Atlanta National Bank. The carriage house was built to hold one
horse.
Since its time, many carriage houses were converted to garages or
demolished. The Atlanta Betterment Fund found this remaining example
of a historic building and decided to move it to the site of the J.H.
Hawes Grain Elevator.
“The historic carriage house was in very poor condition. It probably
would not have lasted much longer,” said Bill Thomas of the Atlanta
Betterment Fund.
The carriage house was lifted off its foundation and moved to its
new location by Ron Peters. The Atlanta Police Department and Ameren
Illinois helped with the move.
After it was relocated, Todd Parks of Atlanta did the
restoration of the building back to its original condition. “It is
probably 99% original,” said Bill Thomas.
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To make the dedication of the new exhibit complete,
the great granddaughter of John Pendelton Hieronymus, Carolyn
Chapman, traveled from her home in Ohio to attend. “While I never
lived in Atlanta, I can remember visiting relatives in town with my
parents and playing in the carriage house as a kid,” she said.
The Atlanta Betterment Fund reached out to Carolyn Chapman when the
project was first proposed, and she was happy to assist with the
restoration. She came to Atlanta for the dedication and to attend a
family reunion.
Together with the Hawes Grain Elevator, which is still in working
condition, the restored Hieronymus Carriage House is a wonderful
addition to the historic buildings in Atlanta.
[Curtis Fox] |
