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| Georgia Governor's Mansion | |
|---|---|
 The Georgia Governor's Mansion in 2007 | |
  Location in Atlanta | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Greek Revival |
| Location | 391 West Paces Ferry Road NW,Atlanta,Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°50′47″N84°23′57″W / 33.8464°N 84.3992°W /33.8464; -84.3992 |
| Current tenants | Brian Kemp |
| Construction started | 1964 |
| Completed | 1967 |
| Opened | January 1, 1968 |
| Cost | US$1,000,000 (approx.) |
| Owner | State of Georgia |
| Landlord | Georgia Building Authority |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 3 |
| Floor area | 24,000 sq ft (2,200 m²) |
| Grounds | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | A. Thomas Bradbury |
| Main contractor | Robert Company |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 30 |
| Website | |
| Official website | |
TheGovernor's Mansion is the official home of thegovernor of theU.S.state of Georgia. Themansion is located at 391 WestPaces Ferry Road NW, in theTuxedo Park neighborhood of the affluentBuckhead district ofAtlanta.
The current Governor's Mansion is on property that belonged to formerAtlanta mayorRobert Maddox (no relation toLester Maddox), who owned a large EnglishTudor-style home on the site. Afire destroyed a large part of the house and Mr. Maddox sold the property to the state. The remainder of the home wasdemolished to construct the current mansion.
The Governor's Mansion is a three-level, 30-room,Greek Revival style home built in 1967. It stands on approximately 18 acres (73,000 m2) on historic West Paces Ferry Road in north-northwest Atlanta. It was designed by Georgia architectA. Thomas Bradbury and officially opened on January 1, 1968.
In 1975, the mansion was heavily damaged in atornado that struck west and then north Atlanta on the morning of March 24,[1] occurring just a week after Governor Busbee moved in after hisinauguration, and necessitating arenovation. It also led to the tornado being called the "governor's tornado",[1] the worst to hit the city until the2008 storm that hit downtown. Later in 2008, the frontdoor was damaged byfire during another renovation on the afternoon of September 11. TheAtlanta Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire, and determined throughthermal imaging that the fire had not spread inside the wall. Few people were present and nobody was injured, as it was after work hours, and the governor and his wife were away.
The house covers 24,000 square feet (2,200 m2) and has a total of 30 Doric columns around theporches. These columns are made fromCalifornia redwoods and are each 24 feet (7 m) high. They are hollowed out and specially treated on the inside to handle water drainage from the roof. The setting is park-like with numerous trees. On the grounds is theswimming pool,tennis courts, children'splay area, and thegreenhouse. Thecenterpiece of the entrance is a Georgiamarblefountain with three largeflagpoles.
The mansion has three levels: a lower level, the main level, and the upper level. The lower level has various rooms supporting the mansion. Theballroom is located on this level. The ballroom has a capacity of 175 forformal dinner and has uses for smaller functions as well. The pool and outsidepatio are also off this level.
The main floor can be considered the State Floor. The majority of the rooms on this floor are used for officialentertaining. The rooms also can be used for day-to-day activities. The Entrance Hall is the main entrance. Flanking the right side is the Georgia Library containing books written by Georgia authors. Flanking the left of the entrance is the guestbedroom, which is the only bedroom on the main floor. Toward the back of the mansion is the Circular Hall with its grandstaircase. Located on the right is the State Dining Room and on the left the Statesitting room. They are both used for formal state functions. The back center of the entrance hall contains thepowder room on the right, Family Dining Room in front, and the Family Sitting Room to the left. Thekitchen is in the back corner of the dining room. These are the three rooms used regularly by the family since this is the kitchen of the mansion.
The upper floor contains the Governor's private living quarters. This level contains among other features the Governor's Mansionoffice,first lady's office, and familyliving room. There are several special bedrooms on this floor. The Presidential Suite with its own sitting room, bedroom, and bath has a commanding view of the frontlawn. The Carter Bedroom, named after the former president, Lincoln Bedroom, and a couple of other bedrooms are also on this level.
All of the furnishings in the house are considered to be museum quality and make up one of the finestFederal period collections in theUnited States. These furnishings were acquired by a 70-member fine arts committee while the Mansion was being constructed. It is a permanent collection and belongs to the state of Georgia. It does not change from one administration to the next.
Lester Maddox was the first governor to live there, followed byJimmy Carter,George Busbee,Joe Frank Harris,Zell Miller,Roy Barnes,Sonny Perdue,Nathan Deal, andBrian Kemp, who is the mansion's current resident.[citation needed]
Lester and Virginia Maddox, the first residents of the mansion, set a precedent of opening the mansion to the public for regularly scheduled tours, and that tradition has continued through today.[2]Tours are conducted throughout the year on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Reservations are needed for groups of 10 or more. There is no charge.
| Georgia Governor's Mansion 1870–1923 | |
|---|---|
 State of Georgia Governor's Mansion 1870–1923 | |
 Interactive map of Georgia Governor's Mansion 1870–1923 |
Georgia has had three official mansions and one unofficial mansion in two different cities:
