Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/122656
homes & gardens | by jennifer mayer History and Architecture of 1120 Georgia Ave. Asher Ayers bought the land where 1120 Georgia Ave. stands in 1877. Ayers was a lawyer at the firm of R.K. Hines and later became the chief deputy United States marshall for the southern district of Georgia. Ayers sold the lot in 1881. It stayed empty until William Lee Ellis, Macon's chairman of public works, purchased it and constructed a home there circa 1892. The house saw several owners until Richard S. Thorpe bought it in 1918. After he passed away in 1929, the house went to two of his sons, Cecil and Warren. Historic Macon Foundation's 19th biennial Decorators' Showhouse features the home at 1120 Georgia Ave. It dates back to the 1890s and is located in the heart of the historic InTown neighborhood. The showhouse will highlight the talents of 15 area decorators. Showhouse chair Katherine Walden is especially excited about this year's event. "Our area of Middle Georgia is very fortunate to have a fine caliber of interior designers who throw their support, as a cooperative team, behind the signature event for Historic Macon Foundation." This is Walden's 14th showhouse with Historic Macon. The Top Hat Gala preview party will be held on April 17, the evening before the home opens for daily tours. Guests will have the first opportunity to see the work of the decorators and enjoy an evening of food, drink and fellowship. The gala will take place at the Woodruff House while the decorators' showhouse is open for viewing. A trolley will run between the two locations throughout the evening. A catered dinner and an open bar will be featured. The home will be open for daily tours April 18–28. For ticketing, tour times and more information, visit www.historicmacon.org or call 478-742-5084. Warren and his wife, Margaret, had one daughter, Katherine Thorpe Dennis. Wimberly Treadwell and Marion Discher, granddaughters to Warren and Margaret, recall visiting the home after school and enjoying Margaret's delicious snacks there. The Thorpe family owned the house until 1975. The house was home to three more families until it was recently purchased by David and Brooke Merrill, the current owners. The architecture of the home is magnificent. The home is Queen Anne with eastern stick style detail, which puts emphasis on asymmetrical composition and decorative "stick work." The asymmetric style is prominent inside and outside of the home. The house also exhibits applied ornamentation in the form of wood boards on the exterior surfaces that is intended to express the inner structure of the building. The original front doors of the home are the focal point of the architecture. The ornate woodwork makes these doors a great entryway into the wonderful finishes inside the home. - Compiled by Kristen Hartley, Historic Macon intern april/MAy 2013macon magazine I 37