Monday, July 9, 2007

15th Street Castle House

Built in 1910 by Ferdinand McMillan, this odd house finds itself nestled cozily between three skyscrapers and across the street from the Woodruff Arts Center in the busy Midtown district of Atlanta.

A writeup by the Atlanta Urban Design Commission tells the history of the house, which has been used as a private residence, rental apartments for artists, art studio, and even a restaurant. It now sits vacant and deteriorating, though the interior appears to have been kept relatively tidy. Someone is at least checking up on the place, if not exactly maintaining it.

The most striking interior feature is the collection of large southern medallions gracing the corner of each of the large rooms. There are only two tiny bathrooms, one on each level. There is no obvious kitchen, nor is there infrastructure to support one, although there is a standalone sink and range in the attic. There are two sets of inadequate electrical wiring in the place: the original two-conductor cloth-covered wiring inside the ceilings and walls, still connected to the ancient bulb-fuse boxes on the top two stories; and newer 1970s+ era wiring run through unsightly (and unpainted) galvanized conduit in the hallways.

I'm not one for ghost stories, but this place feels like it has a spirit of it's own. Maybe the spirit guards it from would-be vandals, as the house is in a (thankfully) remarkably unmolested state for being abandoned for so long.

Edit: A shout-out to nonfucious is in order - she recommended the location and worked out the POE. That's her in the mirror in pic #20. :)
Enjoy!

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