Holiday House allows peek into Glenridge Hall

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Holiday House allows peek into Glenridge Hall

Glenridge Hall will be open to the public for one night as part of Childkind's Holiday House, an event that marks the 20th anniversary of the nonprofit that supports medically fragile children.

Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs is just the latest iconic home to fall to the wrecking ball throughout metro Atlanta. Residents who loved the hall and its grounds are left with many more questions than answers.

J Patrick and Barry Thomas are among the area designers enlisted to transform the house into a holiday wonderland. Tickets are $125 per person.

Because it is a private residence, the owners allowed designers to choose seven rooms to decorate. One of those is the great room, which has a soaring, beamed ceiling and is filled with furniture groupings and wall tapestries. Musicians will perform for guests in the minstrel's gallery on the second floor.

The great room has a giant walk-in fireplace of carved stone adjacent to it. For 14 years, Childkind's Holiday House was a major seasonal event that included a gala party and tours of the decorated Glenridge Hall, but those ended in 2004. This is the first, and possibly only, time the group has been allowed back.

Buckhead-based Dede Gilreath was one of the designers who crafted ornaments for Holiday House. Her angels and faux Faberge eggs will adorn a tabletop Christmas tree in the library. She also will dress the fireplace with a collection of Nutcrackers.

The recently restored breakfast room also was chosen for the tour. The most difficult part of the project was restoring the mural that covers the entire room.

What better place for Santa's office than this upstairs bedroom. It has a four-poster bed and red velvet curtains to match the head elf's suit.

In the morning room, designer Josh Borden of the Borden Design Group in Midtown plans to use dragonflies and butterflies with sequins on a 10-foot tree.

The courtyard can be seen through a window in the morning room. The gardens and grounds of Glenridge Hall cover more than 45 acres.

The English Tudor home was completed in 1930. The 15,000-square-foot U-shaped mansion has 22 rooms, a slate roof and beveled windows.

The mansion, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has a pavilion with a chess set on its grounds. The words "Do Good, Have Fun, Be Safe" are inscribed on the support beam, good advice for Holiday House visitors.

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Glenridge Hall in Sandy Springs is just the latest iconic home to fall to the wrecking ball throughout metro Atlanta. Residents who loved the hall and its grounds are left with many more questions than answers.

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