Information: jimglover.atlantafinehomes.com; 770-630-6477.
A significant piece of Cobb County history is on the market and looking for an owner willing to maintain and care for its contribution to the community.
The Cowan House, located on the aptly-named Cowan Road in Acworth, is one of the few surviving structures in the county that represents the era of calm, agricultural life that preceded the Civil War. The two-story, white-frame structure was built between 1854 and 1858 by Stephen Cowan, who moved to Cobb from Pennsylvania, married three times and raised 14 children. The modest structure in the then-popular plantation-plain style anchored more than 500 acres and is believed to sit in the same spot today as it did 156 years ago.
But a tour of the home’s interior shows a significantly improved structure than the one that sheltered the Cowan clan. It’s not only been improved, but also restored from the abandoned and derelict state that co-owner Jim Reisinger found it in four years ago.
“When Cowan died, some of the family stayed in the house and began to sell parcels of land off,” Reisinger explained. “They ultimately sold it to another family, but it eventually became a rental property before being abandoned. It fell into serious disrepair to the point where people were concerned it was going to collapse. But the Georgia Trust put it on the ‘properties in peril’ list and fixed up the exterior with new windows, a new roof and new support beams, then put it on the market.”
That’s when Reisinger and colleagues at his company, Integrated Science & Technology Inc., decided that, with a considerable overhaul, it could be the perfect head office. The property was rezoned commercial, and the firm oversaw a massive renovation that included installing wiring, plumbing and central heat and air for the first time.
“We also saved most of the heartpine floor, which in some areas had five layers of floor coverings on top,” said Reisinger. “Underneath, it was in its native condition, complete with handmade, square-heat nails.”
Last year, Cobb Landmarks recognized Reisinger and his firm for their efforts with a restoration award. Today, the 2,700-square-foot house with a rocking chair front porch, two fireplaces and eight rooms could be rezoned for private use, but since it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the owners are required to uphold a perpetual historic preservation easement, Reisinger said.
“That makes it impossible to change the exterior appearance, but I think that’s beneficial,” he said. “That really drives home the idea that this is an historic property that should not change from what it is now.”
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