By Gray Chapman
SCAD-Atlanta celebrated the grand opening of Ivy Hall, the latest addition to the campus, on Oct. 3. The historic home will serve as SCAD-Atlanta’s cultural and writing center and is located on Ponce de Leon Ave.
According to SCAD-Atlanta Vice President P.J. Johnson, Ivy Hall will be a multipurpose facility. “As a cultural and writing center it will be a wonderful resource for the college and the city of Atlanta. Not only will we hold classes there, but it will be a venue for lectures, workshops and other events,” he said.
Ivy Hall, a 4,399-square-foot, two-and-a-half story residence, was designed by noted Swedish architect Gottfrid Norrman for the Edward C. Peters family. According to the online history of Ivy Hall, the Peters Family was responsible for the shaping of midtown Atlanta. It’is considered one of the oldest remaining pieces of residential architecture in Atlanta.
The historic mansion was built in 1883 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It was converted to The Mansion restaurant in 1973, but became vacant after a fire in 2000. The house was donated to the College in 2005. According to online press materials, SCAD-Atlanta began the restoration process in 2007 and has since restored and stabilized the exterior façade, slate roof and masonry. Undergraduate and graduate historic preservation students assisted with the research required for the building’s rehabilitation.
After remaining vacant for several years after the building fire in 2000, Ivy Hall’s restoration will signify SCAD’s first rehabilitation of a historic building in Atlanta. “We are so proud to be able to have brought life back to one of Atlanta’s architectural jewels,” said Vice President Johnson. “Just as SCAD has revitalized many historic buildings in Savannah, we look forward to continuing a similar outreach in Atlanta.”
SCAD’s many attempts to restore historic properties has resulted in national recognition of the college by multiple historic societies. According to the SCAD Web site, SCAD has been a leader in restoring and adaptively reusing many of Savannah’s architectural treasures, and has earned recognition from the Historic Savannah Foundation, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, the Art Deco Societies of America, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the International Downtown Association, the Victorian Society in America and the American Institute of Architects, among others.
Ivy Hall also represents the growth of SCAD-Atlanta’s writing program, as the facility will be used
for visiting author lectures, writing classes and workshops. Professional writing professor Emily Williams expressed her enthusiasm for the project and its effects on the growth of SCAD-Atlanta’s literary endeavors. “Its existence foregrounds the importance of literary and cultural arts in our daily, professional and scholarly lives,” said Professor Williams. “The opportunities this center will offer for literary artists to showcase their work as well as collaborate with artists and designers across disciplines will continue to solidify SCAD’s recognition and viability as an innovative force in educational difference.”
The grand opening of Ivy Hall took place at the newly revitalized mansion, located at 179 Ponce
de Leon Ave.