George Hemenway left impressive concrete and steel markers of the part he played in the building of metro Atlanta — among them Northlake Mall, Cumberland Mall, Southlake Mall, the Michael C. Carlos Museum and the Atlanta Union Mission.
Hemenway was on-site supervisor of construction for two of Atlanta’s major builders, Hardin Construction and then Malone Construction, and later founded a firm bearing his own name. As boss on the site, he walked it; he estimated the job costs; he helped formulate budgets; he made sure work was done on time, on budget and to specifications.
Jim Overton, an Atlanta builder who retired to Savannah, was Hemenway’s assistant on the Cumberland Mall job. He said Hemenway was an excellent craftsman who cared deeply about the job at hand and the people performing it.
“George always had the trust and admiration of those who worked for him and those he worked for. That resulted in a mall finished on time and a happy owner,” he said.
Michael Graves of Princeton, N.J., who was lead designer for the Carlos Museum, said, “George was a great champion for the architecture of the museum. He wanted the building to be as good as possible and worked hard to make his part in the building sing.”
The museum’s project architect, Patrick Burke. also of Princeton, N.J., said it was early in his career when he worked with Hemenway. “Even then,” he said, “I knew I was fortunate to work with such a great person. Looking back, I’ve never since worked with anyone better. He’d say, ‘Tell me what you want and we’ll figure out a way to get it done.’”
George R Hemenway, 73, died March 28 at his Tucker home of brain cancer. His funeral was Thursday at Shallowford Presbyterian Church. A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Born in Rochester, N.Y., Hemenway moved with his family to Florida when he was 11. Later he attended the University of Florida, majoring in construction. His time at college was interrupted when, as a Navy reservist, he was called to active duty during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis. After finishing his two-year Navy obligation and completing his studies, he moved to Atlanta in 1965.
Hemenway had several passions away from work: hiking, camping, hunting, woodworking and restoring old cars like his late 1920s Model A Ford.
He was devoted to the altruistic mission of GlenCastle Constructors, a consortium of 11 Atlanta developers and contractors who have pooled their resources over the past two decades to complete nearly one construction project a year at or below cost for Atlanta nonprofits and charitable organizations.
“George and I were what you might call arch-competitors, and yet we became the best of friends working together on GlenCastle jobs,” said Jimmy Humphries, owner of an interior construction firm.
“I’d say the two of us pitched in on at least 15 of those projects,” Humphries said, including the conversion of what was once a debtors prison into a place for the homeless to stay and the construction of Camp Twin Lakes for children with chronic illnesses.
Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Judy Hemenway; a daughter, Kara King of Concord, N.C.; two sons, George W Hemenway of Tucker and Craig Hemenway of Charleston, S.C.; three sisters, Marilyn Todd of Huntsville, Ala., and Diane Hemenway and Janice Jackson, both of Cocoa, Fla.; four brothers, Donald Hemenway of Hilton Head, S.C., and Peter Hemenway, Alan Hemenway and Jerry Hemenway, all of Cocoa, Fla.; and two grandchildren.
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