Herndon Home facts for kids
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Herndon Home
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 Location in Atlanta
Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 587 University Place, NW, Atlanta, Georgia |
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| Built | 1910 |
| Architect | Adrienne McNeil Herndon |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 00000261 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | February 16, 2000 |
| Designated NHL | February 16, 2000 |
The Herndon Home is a special historic house in Atlanta, Georgia. It's like a museum where you can learn about the past. This beautiful mansion was once the home of Alonzo Franklin Herndon. He was born into slavery but became Atlanta's first African-American millionaire. Alonzo Herndon started the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. His wife, Adrienne, designed the house. What's amazing is that African-American workers built almost the entire home. The Herndon Home became a National Historic Landmark in 2000.
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About the Herndon Home
The Herndon Home is in Atlanta's Vine City neighborhood. It is very close to Morris Brown College. The house is a two-story building made of brick. It has a flat roof with a fancy railing around it. There are porches on the sides of the house. A large, grand entrance with big columns welcomes visitors.
The front door has wide windows on the sides. It also has a special curved window above it. All the windows have beautiful designs etched into the glass. The inside of the house is decorated with original wood, stone, and plaster. The main rooms even have murals on the walls. These murals show important moments from the Herndon family's life.
Building the Herndon Home
The Herndon Home was built in 1910 for Alonzo and Adrienne Herndon. Adrienne, Alonzo's wife, was a drama teacher. She designed much of the house herself. She even planned for the rooftop to be a place for performances. From the roof, you could see the university campus nearby.
It's important to know that almost all the work on the house was done by African-American builders. This included the construction and many of the details. Only the electrical and plumbing systems were done by others. This shows the skill and talent of African-American workers at that time.
Alonzo Herndon's Amazing Story
Alonzo Herndon was born in 1858. He was born into slavery. He became free as a child after the American Civil War. Even though he started with nothing, Alonzo Herndon worked very hard. He opened a chain of barbershops in Atlanta.
In 1905, he started the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. This company grew to be the largest African-American-owned insurance company in the country. It made Alonzo Herndon a millionaire. His son, Norris Herndon, continued to run Atlanta Life after his father's death. Norris led the company until he passed away in 1955.
The Herndon Foundation
Today, the Herndon Home is owned by a group called the Alonzo F. and Norris B. Herndon Foundation. This foundation is a nonprofit organization. Since 1983, they have taken care of the home. You can visit the Herndon Home for tours. The foundation also helps people who want to start their own businesses. They support the idea of entrepreneurship, just like Alonzo Herndon did.
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