This May Be Your Last Chance to Visit Bobby Jones’ Home
The 2024 Home for the Holidays Designer Showhouse is a home gifted to renowned golfer Bobby Jones by the City of Atlanta in recognition of his accomplishments. The Colonial home with Classical details has been completely updated and will be sold at the end of the scheduled open house on December 15, 2024. Proceeds from the event benefit the Atlanta History Center.
The home is part of Tuxedo Park, an early Atlanta suburb that developed as wealthy Atlanta residents began building homes along West Paces Ferry around 1904. Tuxedo Park sits just north of West Paces Ferry and its notable homes like the Georgia Governor’s Mansion.
We present the following images to encourage you to see the house while it’s open. As always, we’ve tried to take care not to publish a photo essay of the house so we can inspire you to explore it for yourself.
IMAGE ABOVE: The “new” front of the home on Tuxedo Road includes a three-car garage. The home was originally six bedrooms, five bathrooms at 5,734 square feet. The addition is the portion with the garages.
IMAGE ABOVE: The initial front of the home faces Northside Drive. The public rooms front on this side of the house which is now the rear of the house and has a western exposure. There’s still a foyer with dining and living rooms on each side. There’s a pool and pool house off to the left, on the north side of the rear yard.
IMAGE ABOVE: Bobby Jones won the Southern Open on the golf course of the Forrest Hills-Ricker Hotel in 1930. He went on to complete a “grand slam” that year by winning the British Amateur, British Open, U.S. Open and the U.S. Amateur. Jones was a lifelong amateur despite winning four U.S. Opens, five U.S. Amateurs, three British Opens and one British Amateur.
IMAGE ABOVE: Visitors can tour Jones’ small study in which he and Cliff Roberts reportedly conceived of the Masters Tournament. This framed piece on one of the bookcases in the study displays some of Jones’ memorabilia.
IMAGE ABOVE: You can find a small practice green at the south end of the house, just outside Jones’ study.
IMAGE ABOVE: The foyer at the new front of the house leads from the kitchen and master suite at the north end of the house to this door at the south end of the foyer. No one seemed to notice this isn’t really a door - it’s a speakeasy: a panel with no door knob or handle.
IMAGE ABOVE: The concealed door above leads to a small yet gorgeous bar. We’re sharing this detail image so as not to spoil the experience of seeing it for yourself though you can still see the beautiful green lacquer finish on the walls.
IMAGE ABOVE: The dining room is one of many rooms with wallpaper. We’re fans of the very modern wallpaper in the powder room off the foyer at the bottom of the stairs.
IMAGE ABOVE: The kitchen isn’t large so it has an intimate feel with a keeping room at one end (the rear of the house) and a larger den at the other end (new front of the house). There’s a fridge/freezer to the right of the range.
IMAGE ABOVE: There’s also a prep pantry with an entrance just behind the point of view in the previous image. It offers much more storage, fridge/freezer space and an area to accumulate + clean dishes.
IMAGE ABOVE: This den sits just off the kitchen at the new front of the house. It appears to be part of the addition to the home.
IMAGE ABOVE: There are some interesting details to appreciate in the home.
IMAGE ABOVE: These marble tiles in one of the upstairs en suite bathrooms were our favorite tile detail in the home.
IMAGE ABOVE: We’re always looking at the profiles and proportions of trim in old houses. They tend to have much more thoughtful designs such as these backbands on the door casings that clearly separate the openings from the baseboards.
IMAGE ABOVE: There’s no parking on site. Visitors must ride a shuttle from a designated parking area. The shuttle delivers visitors to this area just in front of the entrance. There are steps to get into the house from either this driveway or the garage. There are interior steps to the partial basement and second floor though there did not appear to be an elevator.
IMAGE ABOVE: The garage is serving as the ticket office and market. Buy your tickets online in advance to avoid arriving to find the day is sold out.
IMAGE ABOVE: Visitors receive a guide with information about the house, the beneficiary and the designers.
IMAGE ABOVE: The guide includes floor plans of the house… which is not always the case.
The house is five bedrooms with six full baths and three half baths. Our friend Bonneau Ansley is listing it for $9,795,000. An earlier listing in 2022 by Dorsey Alston Realtors was $3,250,000 though the team that delivered the showhouse described it as needing to be saved from demolition.
What are your thoughts about the home? Did you have a chance to visit? What other homes should we see? Leave a comment below to let us know your thoughts!
UPDATE: On December 3, 2024, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced the additional six resources to the Georgia Register of Historic Places. Tuxedo Park, the neighborhood in which the Jones’ house was built, is among the six new resources.
The description of Tuxedo Park from the DCA reads:
Tuxedo Park is a feat of community planning and development in Fulton County. It is a concept expression of elite status within the area, which guided the design of the area’s amenities, aesthetics, deed restrictions, and necessity for car ownership. Tuxedo Park is as an example of a suburban residential landscape derived from a three-layered process: selection of location, overall platting and layout, and design of the house and yard. The park also retains an exceptional diversity of residential architecture as it was produced by architects and architectural firms prolific across Atlanta, the state of Georgia, and southeastern United States.
Congratulations to the Tuxedo Park Civic Association on their successful sponsorship of the nomination!
Other Posts of Interest:
Architecture of the Last Colony Book Launch
Gift Idea: American Classicist
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