DEL.ICIO.USAtlanta B&B owners ready to hand over keys for mansion’s third chapter
Restoration, business captured couple’s interest for more than 25 years.
For The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Can a love of old houses lead to a change of careers?
Debbie and Ed McCord had just finished renovating a two-story 1903 home in Atlanta’s Grant Park. One night, they went out for a hot dog at the Varsity and drove down Piedmont Avenue on the way.
Courtesy of the Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center
Dr. William P. Nicholson had the home built in 1891. The house is currently The Shellmont Inn, owned by Ed and Debbie McCord. The home is registered as an Atlanta historic landmark and the owners turned it into a bed-and-breakfast more than 25 years ago.
Joey Ivansco / jivansco@ajc.com
The Shellmont Inn is located at 821 Piedmont Ave., NE., zbout two blocks from Piedmont Park. There are five guest rooms and a carriage house cottage available for rent. The house has been meticulously restored and furnished with antiques and oriental rugs.
Joey Ivansco / jivansco@ajc.com
Owners Debbie and Ed McCord renovated the Nicholson house and have operated a bed and breakfast for the past quarter of a century.
A “For Sale” sign was posted in front of a house, one that had caught Ed’s eye before — a grand 1891 mansion showing a few signs of neglect.
It wasn’t long before the McCords became the second owners of a home built by William P. Nicholson as a wedding present for his bride. Walter T. Downing had been the architect, an Atlantan whose designs included buildings at Oglethorpe University and Georgia Tech as well as homes for prominent Atlantans. The house on Piedmont is his earliest residential commission still standing.
The house became the catalyst for a new stage in the McCords’ lives, one where they would leave their corporate jobs to engage in the ultimate work-at-home occupation, running a bed-and-breakfast.
When the house was built in the 1890s, it was sited as far as you could go and still be in the city of Atlanta. The north property line was the city limit, and the land was still rural. Nicholson family members remember fox hunting on the grounds.
The house was one of the first built on land subdivided from the estate anchored by the home of Edward C. Peters at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Piedmont Avenue. That house, formerly known as the Peters Mansion and home of the Mansion Restaurant, is now called Ivy Hall and was recently opened as a center for literature and the arts for the Savannah College of Art and Design.
Downing, like most architects of the 1890s, also served as the builder and often decorator, supplying everything down to the dining room furniture. The house was constructed from materials that could stand the test of time. The lap siding is mahogany, which has resisted rot for 117 years. The trim of the house both inside and out is hand-carved poplar instead of the more common molded plaster.
But benign neglect and some poor maintenance meant the house also came with significant problems. There were seven roofs piled one on top of the other and plaster ceilings that crashed to the floor on the day the couple closed on the house.
Architectural value
“When we bought it in 1982, we paid a premium price for the property. A lot of neighbors thought we were crazy,” says Ed. But since the home had remained for over 100 years in the Nicholson family, all the original architectural details were still intact. The house had not been subdivided like so many large homes; it just hadn’t been maintained. The McCords knew the value of having those original high-quality materials.
For six months they rented the house to someone who worked in Ed’s real estate development company, and came over at night and on the weekends to explore the property, inventory the materials and develop a plan.
“In the back of our minds, we thought this would be an ideal inn. The house had six bedrooms and four baths, and a carriage house that once housed donkeys and horses was still on the property,” says Ed.
The carriage house was the first building to be renovated. “We lived in the main house while that work was being done. We wanted to do something to indicate to the neighbors what they could expect, and we knew renovating the main house would take substantially longer,” says Debbie.
Inn is born
Finishing the carriage house also meant they could get their business license and start generating some income from the property. “Ed had been a developer, and the plan was to open an inn when we got old. But he got sick of corporate life. ‘I’m leaving,’ he said, and we ended up renting rooms for $65 a night,” she adds. “We knew nothing about operating a hotel, but we learned.”
They named their new business the Shellmont Inn, “shell” for the large carved wooden shell mounted on the front of the house and “mont” for Piedmont, the road the house stands on.
Turning their attention to the main house, they began making it structurally sound. The process would take a little more than a year. Slowly they opened up the house for guests, a room at a time, as the decorative work of wallpapering, painting and furnishing was completed. At the end of the process, they had an inn with five guest rooms and baths, and a carriage house that sleeps four.
Maintaining a 127-year-old home is an ongoing project. Ed says there’s always work being done on the property on any given day. Bathrooms, for example, come in for periodic upgrades to keep up with the demand for luxurious spaces. “You’ve got to keep up with changing preferences, or you’ll be left behind,” says Ed. “And we’re big on maintenance. We’ve got the best maintained house you’ll ever see. If you stay on top of things, then you don’t ever get behind.”
The McCords have enjoyed their 25 years as innkeepers. “We have guests from all over the world, which makes for interesting breakfast conversation,” says Debbie.
The McCords live on the premises and Debbie serves as the chef, providing a full hot breakfast every day.
Today they’re ready to relinquish the house to another owner. “We’ve accomplished all the goals we set out to accomplish. We renovated an exquisite structure and successfully operated it as a business. The neighborhood is evolving and they’re doing it right,” says Ed. “The whole area is a draw now for people to come. This is going to be a great business for somebody else.”
For more information on the Shellmont Inn, go to www.shellmont.com.
Large and small historic homes can be found in many parts of the metro Atlanta area and quite a few have been turned into bed-and-breakfasts. Here are three that persuaded their owners to become innkeepers.
Rutledge Inn
Rutledge
Four years ago Dina and Pierre Glardon were moving from Chicago, searching for a place to enjoy small-town life. They bought an 1850 farmhouse in the community of Rutledge, 50 miles east of Atlanta. They knew the house would be perfect for the bed-and-breakfast they were considering.
“We were told the house had gone to rack and ruin before our neighbor purchased it and did a complete restoration. It was in perfect condition when we saw it. We could come in and concentrate on opening our new business,” says Dina.
While the Glardons didn’t have any previous experience as innkeepers, they had stayed in bed-and-breakfasts everywhere they went, loved being around people and thought Rutledge with its proximity to Athens, Madison and Hard Labor Creek State Park would be a good location.
The Rutledge Inn has two guest rooms in the main house and an attached guest suite. The price is $120 per night and includes a full breakfast. The inn is also available for special events and meals prepared by Pierre, who apprenticed in the restaurant business in his native France.
Lake Allatoona Inn
Cartersville
Lynn Smith is a Realtor as well as being a registered nurse and in the horse business. She was showing a client this home on Lake Allatoona and fell in love. “I talked to my husband David and said we had to figure out a way we could buy that property. We took our 401(k) money and invested in the house as a business.”
When the couple bought the house, its interior had been completely updated by the previous owners. The Smiths started clearing the grounds and put up a covered riding arena and horse barns and stalls. An old general store on the property is now available for weddings or events. The store was the first post office and general store in Bartow County. Built in the 1850s, it’s evidence of Allatoona, the small community that once occupied that spot.
J. C. Armstrong, an architect, builder and businessman, built the main house in 1893 on the foundation of a pre-Civil War house. While it once sat in the center of a 1,700-acre estate, the grounds are now only 16 acres.
The Smiths rent out three rooms in the main house at rates from $100 to $160 a night. Ultimately, they expect to have six bedrooms to rent.
Mileybright Farmhouse
Decatur
www.mileybright.com/bandb.html
In 1997, Diana and Joe Simon purchased the 1900 home of Judge John S. Candler. Built to be a country gentleman’s farmhouse and dairy farm, the house sits on Covington Highway just inside the Perimeter. The house was also the birthplace of Tom Forkner, co-founder of the Waffle House restaurants.
“We were going to make it available just for weddings,” says Joe, “but as we got into it, we decided to turn it into a bed-and-breakfast.” After taking five years to restore the house, they opened the inn three years ago. The house has six fireplaces, original architectural features that include 11-foot ceilings, heart pine floors and covered verandas.
The inn is now Joe’s full-time job. Diana continues work as a computer production artist. Guests can rent a bedroom with a private bath, or a one-,
two- or three-bedroom apartment. Rates are $93 to $279. Ingredients for a self-catered breakfast are provided with the apartment and a continental breakfast is provided for the single bedroom.