CIRCA MEETING April 29, 2010
Dear APC Members, The below event is sponsored by CIRCA, an educational auxiliary group affiliated with The Atlanta Preservation Center that offers monthly behind-the-scenes tours of select Atlantaarea historic sites. While this event is free for first time guests, just $15 dollars a year, which can be sent in with your APC membership renewal, gets you access to a year's worth of CIRCA events. For more than 20 years, CIRCA has toured buildings either by flashlight before renovation starts or once the final touches have been completed, as well as toured existing historic properties, districts and parks. Memorable tours have included the 1913 Winecoff Hotel, 1889 Georgia State Capitol, The Ponce, restored Druid Hill's Olmsted Park, Whittier Mill Historic District, Ivy Hall, historic buildings on Georgia Tech's campus and the Burns Mansion in Grant Park. CIRCA events are usually scheduled for the second Tuesday evening of the month March through December. Join, today, and see parts of Atlanta you've never seen before!
Event Name Where & When Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010 Time: 6:30 pm Location: 3855 Randall Mill Road, Atlanta
May 2010 CIRCA Meeting Place: Alexandra Park - The Estate of Rodney and Emily Cook (in Buckhead at 3855 Randall Mill Rd., Atlanta, GA 30327) Date: Tuesday, May 11. Remarks at 6:30, tour begins 6:45. Visit Rodney and Emily Cook's Russian-inspired estate in Buckhead, which has housed royal guests and spies, and is steeped in Atlanta history. Rodney Cook, owner of Rodney Cook Interests and President of the National Monuments Foundation, was the driving force behind building Millennium Gate in Atlantic Station, where he previously hosted CIRCA, as well as the Prince of Wales's Olympics Monument at Pershing Point when he was a trustee for Prince Charles.
Rodney and Emily's property, which was once owned by Atlanta's Pace family, includes a neoclassical manor house, fragrant Olmsted-inspired gardens and an 1890's onion-domed stable, where the Atlanta Steeplechase began. Inside the home, a circular stairway leads to the piano noble and Rodney's collection of Hudson River School and Russian paintings, and Frederick Hart bronzes. In the drawing room and library, books and photographs of notable people and events of the past several decades associated with the Cook family fill the rooms. Rodney will talk with CIRCA about how he designed his home, the art pieces contained within, spies and the homes links to Atlanta history. A renowned architectural designer and historian, Rodney's experience reaches from initiating the Fox Theatre's preservation to erecting and building monuments in Washington, D.C., Britain, Denmark, the Cropsey Museum in New York and historic restorations in Russia. Cost: Free for members and first time guests, returning guests $10. Membership forms will be available. Time and parking: Meet at the main house gravel court at 3855 Randall Mill Road Northwest, Atlanta, GA, 30327, at 6:30 for remarks. The tour starts at 6:45. Directions: For directions, please visit: http://maps.google.com/ or from W. Paces Ferry, take Randall Mill Road north for several blocks, cross the stream and Rodney and Emily's property will be on the right. Turn onto the double drive, fork right, pass the stable and follow signs to the main house where there is space to park. External websites of interest: Rodney Mims Cook: http://www.rodneymimscook.com/index.html The National Monuments Foundation: http://www.thenmf.org/ Millennium Gate: http://www.thegateatlanta.com/ Hudson River School: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_River_School Atlanta Preservation Center 327 St. Paul Avenue, SE Atlanta, Georgia 30312-3129
For information about CIRCA, see www.PreserveAtlanta.com and select the CIRCA button.