Visitors to Avondale Estates, the small town situated between Decatur and the Perimeter, view the Tudor-style buildings along the main street and mistake them for architectural copies from the Alpine-themed Helen, Ga. But they're not, says Todd Pullen, who heads the town’s historic preservation commission.
“In fact, Avondale Estates was modeled after Stratford-upon-Avon in England,” said Pullen. “A lot of people think it’s German, but it’s more English.”
The main thoroughfare, lined with timber-accented shops and pubs, is the iconic Avondale Estates image, said Pullen. But it’s part of a broader historic district that covers many of the town’s houses built in the 1920s. Along the tree-shaded side streets with very British names (Dartmouth, Kensington, and yes, Stratford), are some of the most charming and well-preserved old residences in the country. So say the experts at This Old House magazine, who recently ranked Avondale among the “best old house neighborhoods” in the country.
“We’re proud of that,” said Kay Connelly, who grew up in town, married her husband Don and raised a family in one of the classic brick Tudors built in 1929. “We think we’re a special place, but we always want other people to know how special it really is.”
Avondale does have a special past. It is one of the oldest planned communities in the Southeast, with a swim and tennis club, a lake, wide streets and a central commercial district. At its inception, the community boasted riding stables and a trolley line to downtown Atlanta that has since been replaced by a MARTA train station. Many residents move in and don’t budge, and when they do go, they’re not forgotten: the Connellys have lived in their house since 1973, but it’s not unusual for someone to refer to it by the name of the former owners. The house has been expanded with an upstairs, but still has the original casement windows in the living room and cobblestone walls in the basement.
“Avondale is kind of a well-kept secret,” said Don Connelly. “But when people do discover it, they love it.”
Among the roughly 2,800 residents, Pullen said there’s a good deal of enthusiastic about protecting the heritage.
“There are so many of us who are very passionate about what we have and understand what makes this community so special,” he said. “There’s a sentiment for protecting the scale of the city and the houses and their aesthetics.”
Pullen, an artist and architect, discovered Avondale 10 years ago when he was scouring the area for an old warehouse to turn into a home and office. He found the ideal spot just off the main street in an old broom factory.
“Avondale was such a wonderful community with an historic nature,” he said. “I loved the feeling of being back in a small town but close to the big city.”
But after a decade, Pullen admits he’s thinking about becoming an old-house owner himself.
“I’m eyeballing one of the original houses,” he said. “But it needs a lot of help.”
Your community
Each Saturday, we shine a spotlight on a local neighborhood, city or community, To suggest a place for us to visit, e-mail Bob Howard at bhoward@ajc.com.
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