The 1842 Inn, an antebellum mansion and carriage house in Macon, exemplifies the architecture of its time with its stately columns and wrap-around veranda.
It wasn't that way back in 1983. That's when Mil Hatcher Jr., a Macon native and Atlanta attorney, bought the property. The vacant structure, on College Street in the town's historic district, had been subdivided into apartments.
"It was full of fleas," said Aileen Ponder Hatcher, his wife of 35 years. "We had to spray ourselves the next time we went inside of it. It was in terrible disrepair, and some of the plaster had fallen off those beautiful columns. The place had not been painted in years. It was an eyesore."
Mr. Hatcher, a Holland & Knight tax attorney, formed a partnership so friends could contribute to renovations that topped $1 million. A year later, the Greek Revival mansion opened as The 1842 Inn. Today, it's a highly-rated bed-and-breakfast.
"Mil said the house should be saved and that's what we did," his wife said. "He thought he owed it to the city. He was so proud of being from Macon."
On Friday, Milford B. "Mil" Hatcher Jr. died in his sleep at his home in Ponte Vedra, Fla., one of his three residences. He was 63. A funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Peachtree Road United Methodist Church. H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill Chapel, is in charge of arrangements.
Mr. Hatcher earned his law degree from the University of Georgia and began his career at the Jacksonville tax firm of Culverhouse, Tomlinson, Mills, DeCarion and Anderson. For 20 years he was a partner with Jones Day, where he served as the firm's tax group coordinator in Atlanta.
In January 2010, the lawyer joined Holland & Knight's Jacksonville and Atlanta offices as a partner in the firm's private wealth services practice. His specialty was estate planning, business succession and income tax planning for high-end clients. He knew all aspects of tax law.
The attorney was sought after for his expertise, particularly as it relates to family limited partnerships. Edward F. Koren Jr., who oversees Holland & Knights' private wealth services unit, said he'd tried to recruit him for some time.
"We had a ball practicing law over the years, even though we were in different offices," he said. "He was a friend for 15 years before I finally got him over here. He gave us a new dimension, and we will miss his style, dignity and friendship."
Though a lawyer by trade, Mr. Hatcher's wife said he could have been an architect as well. He admired historic structures, she said, and took joy in the preservation of a mansion that had been built by John Gresham, a former Macon mayor and judge. The couple sold the 19-room inn in 1992.
"He had the creative mind," his wife said, "and he used that same creativity to solve tax problems for his clients."
Additional survivors include a sister, Kathleen Hatcher Cook of Musella.
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