The Fraser
Building
Gets a New Life!
On a three-acre tract on Clairemont Avenue just north of
the Firestone building right in the heart of Decatur sits a two-room circa 1870s
servant's quarters tenement structure in need of preservation.
The building
is believed to have been part of the Rev. Donald Fraser's homestead. Pastor
of the Decatur Presbyterian Church from 1872 to 1887, Rev. Fraser purchased
12 acres just north of the original Decatur Presbyterian Church from Ezekiel
Mason in 1877.
When the church moved to its present site on Church Street
in 1893, the old church was donated to house the Donald Fraser School for Boys.
The remaining tenement structure is a double-pen saddlebag building that
is heavy timber framed with mortise-and-tenon joinery.
This significant
19th century structure, a Preservation
Alliance project, moved from a condominium development site on Clairemont, now
has a permanent home just off Church St., on Decatur Cemetery property. Mike
Maschmeyer, developer of the Clairemont Condominiums, moved the building and
donated a new roof. Board members Stacie Monroe, a preservation architect, and
Robert Soens, owner of Pinnacle Construction, have been working on the
building. Exterior siding has been repaired, windows are being made and a coat
of paint will go on within the next month. When renovation is completed, the
building will be transferred to the City of Decatur and plans are to make the
structure available as a community meeting space and educational tool.
The
building was moved on July 17, 2001 - look here for pictures.
If you believe in the goals of the Decatur Preservation Alliance, you can help
with this and future projects. Simply go
to this page and print the membership form, then send your tax-deductible
contribution. Thanks very much for your help !
Comments or questions may be directed to
info@decaturpreservationalliance.org
or
P.O. Box 1764
Decatur, GA 30031
Return to the DPA Home Page
The Decatur Preservation Alliance
is a 501c3 charitable organization.
Gifts are tax deductible to the extent
permitted by law - see your tax advisor.
Copyright © 2001, 2002 Decatur Preservation
Alliance, Inc.
Last updated July 14, 2002
