The city of Roswell is the new owner of a historic home built circa 1845.
City Council approved the $1.5 million purchase of the home built by Savannah cotton grower Robert Adams Lewis. His wife Catharine Barrington Cooke was a niece of Roswell King, who founded the city.
Mayor Kurt Wilson said the home known as Holly Hill will be part of an upcoming effort to put a renewed focus on Roswell’s historic assets. The plan will include making Roswell more of a destination for its history as well as generating revenue from the newly purchased home and the historic sites at Bulloch Hall, Barrington Hall, Mimosa Hall and Smith Plantation.
“It is part of a larger goal to create a comprehensive historical assets plan...and tie it to Bulloch Avenue,” Wilson said, adding that residents have shown less interests in the local sites. “...I think we’ve lost some of the love and connection.”
City Council voted unanimously to purchase the home during a meeting held on Monday but there was initial opposition by Councilmembers Mike Palermo, Will Morthland, Peter Vanstrom and Sarah Beeson who wanted to defer a decision to another date.
All of the officials said the proposed purchase price was below the appraisal and market value of the house, but Palermo said a new detail was disclosed that had not been previously discussed.
That detail was not shared with the public.
Real estate site Zillow and others showed the value of the home at approximately $1 million over the past 30 days.
Councilmembers discussed the purchase further in a closed-door executive session before voting to approve.
Beeson said the closed session gave the officials clarity.
“I think we are able to determine a pathway forward that allows us to be good fiduciaries to the city; strong financial stewards,” she said.
“It gives us options to explore.”
The 4,000 square-foot home sits on 1.76 acres of land with four bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths.
Councilwoman Lee Hills said the Holly Hill home survived fires during the Civil War when local mills were burned. The previous owners Lewis and Nancy Gray purchased the home in 1984, she said, and did a complete restoration. Some of the original black marble fireplaces and pocket doors remain.
“We are a historic city,” she said. “I feel like we have failed in the past by not getting the most out of our historic sites.”
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