Historic Society, Public to Help City Establish History

What is historic in Alpharetta? The Alpharetta Historical Society’s Preservation Committee has been researching the historic homes of the city and will present their findings at the Nov. 21 meeting.

The Preservation Committee is determining the criteria that would be used for qualifying as “historic.”  The Committee is using guidelines from the National Register of Historic Places. For example, their guidelines require that a property be at least 50 years old. The Preservation Committee will require that it be 75 years old. The site must have historic integrity and it must be architecturally unique and remain basically unchanged over time.  Imminent peril will be another factor that is considered.

The Preservation Committee began with a list of homes that was compiled by an Urban Studios Survey that the City had completed a few years ago.  The committee then added another 30-40 homes.  They are working to complete a list of 30-40 properties within a defined “Historic District” that can be placed on a list in priority order based on the criteria that is created by the committee.

The Alpharetta Historical Society’s November meeting will be held on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. at the Mansell House and Gardens, located at 1835 Old Milton Parkway.

Know something about the historical homes in the area? Add your voice to the discussion, as the Alpharetta Historical Society will encourage the audience to participate with additional information that they might have on historical homes in the area.

The Preservation Committee is a Standing Committee of the Historical Society and is working to establish a Historic Review Commission.  The commission will serve as a liaison with the city on matters concerning the development in historic areas.

For more information on becoming a member of the Alpharetta Historical Society, contact Nan Harman-Dempsey at 770-475-9995 or by email at Harman_dempsey@msn.com.