Georgia Governor's Mansion facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Georgia Governor's Mansion |
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State of Georgia Governor's Mansion
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The Governor's Mansion is the official home for the Governor of Georgia, a U.S. state. This beautiful mansion is located in Atlanta, Georgia, specifically in the Buckhead area, which is a nice part of the city. It's a very important building because it's where the state's leader lives and works.
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Building the Governor's Home
The land where the current Governor's Mansion stands used to belong to Robert Maddox, a former mayor of Atlanta. He had a large English Tudor-style house there. After a fire damaged much of his home, Mr. Maddox sold the property to the state. The rest of his old house was then torn down to make way for the new mansion.
Design and Opening
The Governor's Mansion we see today is a three-story building with 30 rooms. It was built in 1967 in the Greek Revival style, which means it looks like ancient Greek temples with big columns. The mansion sits on about 18 acres (73,000 square meters) of land on West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. A Georgia architect named A. Thomas Bradbury designed it, and it officially opened on January 1, 1968.
Mansion's Challenges: Storms and Repairs
In 1975, a strong tornado hit Atlanta and caused a lot of damage to the mansion. This happened just a week after Governor Busbee moved in! The mansion needed many repairs after the storm. People even called it the "governor's tornado" because of how it affected the new governor's home. Years later, in 2008, the front door of the mansion was damaged by a small fire during another renovation. Luckily, the Atlanta Fire Department quickly put out the fire, and no one was hurt.
Outside the Mansion: Columns and Gardens
The mansion itself is huge, covering 24,000 square feet (2,200 square meters). It has 30 large Doric columns around its porches. These columns are made from California redwood trees and are 24 feet (7 meters) tall! They are hollow inside and specially treated to help drain water from the roof. The area around the mansion looks like a park, with many trees. You can also find a swimming pool, tennis courts, a children's play area, and a greenhouse on the grounds. At the entrance, there's a beautiful Georgia marble fountain with three tall flagpoles.
Inside the Mansion: Rooms for State and Family
The mansion has three levels: a lower level, a main level, and an upper level.
Lower Level: Events and Fun
The lower level has different rooms that support the mansion's activities. The large ballroom is on this level. It can hold up to 175 people for formal dinners and is also used for smaller events. The pool and outdoor patio are also connected to this level.
Main Level: Official Gatherings
The main floor is often called the State Floor. Most of the rooms here are used for official entertaining and state events. When you enter, you step into the Entrance Hall. To the right is the Georgia Library, which holds books written by authors from Georgia. To the left is a guest bedroom, the only bedroom on this floor. Towards the back of the mansion, you'll find the Circular Hall with its grand staircase. The State Dining Room is on the right, and the State sitting room is on the left. Both are used for important state functions. The back of the entrance hall has a powder room on the right, the Family Dining Room in front, and the Family Sitting Room to the left. The kitchen is in the back corner near the dining room. These three rooms are used regularly by the governor's family.
Upper Level: Governor's Private Home
The upper floor is where the Governor's family lives. This level includes the Governor's Mansion office, the first lady's office, and a family living room. There are also several special bedrooms here. The Presidential Suite has its own sitting room, bedroom, and bath, with a great view of the front lawn. Other bedrooms on this level include the Carter Bedroom (named after former president Jimmy Carter) and the Lincoln Bedroom.
Mansion Furnishings: A Museum Collection
All the furniture and decorations in the mansion are very special, like pieces you would see in a museum. They are part of one of the best collections of Federal period furnishings in the United States. A committee of 70 art experts chose these items when the mansion was being built. This collection belongs to the state of Georgia and stays the same, no matter which governor is living there.
Governors Who Lived Here
Many governors have called this mansion home. Lester Maddox was the very first governor to live there. After him came Jimmy Carter, George Busbee, Joe Frank Harris, Zell Miller, Roy Barnes, Sonny Perdue, Nathan Deal, and Brian Kemp. Governor Kemp is the current resident of the mansion.
Visiting the Mansion: Public Tours
Lester Maddox and his wife, Virginia, were the first to live in the mansion, and they started a tradition of opening it up for public tours. This tradition continues today! You can take a tour of the mansion on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays between 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. If you have a group of 10 or more people, you'll need to make a reservation. The best part is, there's no charge to visit!
Past Governor's Homes in Georgia
Georgia has had a few official homes for its governors over the years, in two different cities.
- The very first official home (1838–1868) was in Milledgeville. It's now called the "Old Governor's Mansion" and is a museum that you can visit.
- When the state capital moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868, the first place the governor lived in Atlanta was not official. It was a three-story building on Peachtree Street.
- In 1870, the state bought the first official mansion in Atlanta from John H. James. Seventeen governors lived in this large Victorian home. By 1921, it was getting old, and Governor Dorsey moved out. The old James home was torn down in 1923.
- In 1925, the state bought another mansion and estate from Edwin Ansley in Ansley Park. Eleven governors lived there before it was emptied and torn down in 1968 to make way for the current mansion.
Images for kids
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State of Georgia Governor's Mansion 1870–1923
