It’s not surprising that this Georgian beauty by famed Atlanta architect Neel Reid would be a favorite for designer Patricia McLean, a Shutze Award winner (which recognizes the region’s best in classic design). But this Buckhead home also has sentimental appeal for her. One day she was driving past it with her father, who was visiting from North Carolina. He confided that the house had been his favorite when he and her mother were newlyweds, living nearby in a guesthouse on Peachtree Road. Says McLean, “The details are all perfectly to scale. It has aged gracefully and feels comfortable in its own skin, much like my daddy.”
The structure was built in 1922 for Robert Alston, a founder of law firm Alston & Bird. Next came the Kenans, philanthropists and Flagler heirs who owned the Breakers hotel in Palm Beach. The house, now on only its fourth owners, has been renovated by both Spitzmiller & Norris and Yong Pak. Many original details remain, like a fireplace mantel from the old Georgia governor’s mansion in Milledgeville.
This article originally appeared in our Fall 2015 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.
