The neighborhood was designed for Atlanta’s social, business, and government elites. Many were moving away from their former homes on Peachtree Street, which was becoming more commercialized. Tuxedo Park was a welcome escape from the crowded city, increasingly sooty from all the trains. With an automobile, which at that time only the very well-to-do could afford, the ride into town took just 20 minutes.

Over time, other developers created six smaller neighborhoods  surrounding the original subdivision. All were influenced by the country-retreat design aesthetic of Tuxedo Park, which included mandatory large lots, uniform deep setbacks, and curvilinear roads respectful of the hilly terrain and winding creeks and streams. The area in general became popularly known as Tuxedo Park.

As an early 20th century suburban development, the district contains most of the then-popular, turn-of-the-century Revival styles, many designed by well-known architects, including Frazier & Bodin; Cooper & Cooper; Hentz, Reid & Adler (later Hentz, Adler & Shutze); Ivey & Crook; Pringle & Smith; James Owen Southwell; Philip Trammell Shutze; Thomas G. Little, Sr.; and André Steiner. The sections of the neighborhood developed after World War II contain one- and two-story houses in a variety of styles, including Colonial Revival, French Vernacular, International, Neoclassical Revival, Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired, and Rustic.

Various entities have tried to get Tuxedo Park listed in the National Register since the 1990s, but without success. The Tuxedo Park Civic Association hired Laura Drummond in January 2023 to attempt a nomination. It was a lengthy process, but Laura presented the nomination to the Georgia National Register Review Board in November 2024, and the Tuxedo Park Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 24, 2025.

By the 1920s, the old school was in dire shape, and black community leaders petitioned the Henry County School Board for a new building. In 1931, both the black and white communities raised money, which, combined with public funding from the Georgia Equalization Fund and a cash donation from the Julius Rosenwald Fund, enabled the construction of the Unity Grove Rosenwald School. Like all other Rosenwald schools, the community had to dig a well for water and build two sanitary privies for the students, in addition to the two-classroom schoolhouse. The first day of classes was November 2, 1931. Originally constructed on two acres, the community came together in 1932 to purchase an additional acre of land at a cost of $12.50, to provide a playground.

The school operated through the spring semester of 1954. After that, students were bused to another black elementary school in Locust Grove, and the school board sold the building to a private individual in 1955. Henry County would eventually desegregate its schools in 1968.

The school remained in private hands for nearly 90 years. It was occasionally used for storage, but was mostly neglected and was not maintained. Theft of original classroom furnishings and materials occurred over time. Renewed interest in the school began in 2010, by (now former) Henry County Commissioner Warren Holder, who inspired others to join together to try and save the school–the sole remaining Rosenwald school in the county. Commissioner Johnny Wilson and former Commissioner June Wood, with a diverse array of business leaders, elected officials, the NAACP, administrators and educators from the Henry County Schools, formed the Henry County Arts and Culture Alliance. The goals of this non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation are to preserve and promote diverse arts and culture in the community.

On April 1, 2023, Henry County Commissioner Johnny Wilson and June Wood, Chair of the Henry County Arts & Culture Alliance, completed the final purchase of the Unity Grove Rosenwald School from its owners. The school building now is the property of the Henry County Arts & Culture Alliance. The building has been secured, and it remains in its original location until sufficient funds can be raised to move it. Laura Drummond has documented the Unity Grove’s history, its building materials and construction methodologies, and has written a Preservation Plan for the school.

The building displays a classical linear configuration consisting of a large, two-story, central block (corps de logis) flanked by single-story wings (hyphens), which are themselves flanked by larger but secondary cubes (pavilions) at each end. Although an assemblage of different masses, the house is balanced and perfectly symmetrical around the central north-south axis. The central block houses the grand central staircase, dining and living rooms, kitchen, and major bedrooms. The north side of the main block features a central two-story projecting bay and floor-to-ceiling jib-head windows opening onto a large flagstone terrace with stairs leading into the expansive gardens.

The house has had minimal alterations since its construction. Original windows, doors, flooring, hardware, elaborate moldings, two fireplaces, an iron spiral staircase, a curved bar, and other design features remain intact. The original Athos Menaboni oil-painted murals in the game room, although covered by modern latex-based paint, are recoverable. The library retains the original vermillion red chosen by Shutze to match the color of the main gallery of the 1817 Dulwich Picture Gallery in London, designed by famous Regency architect John Soane.

The property of just over 1.5 acres is located in Tuxedo Park, a residential neighborhood in the northwest section of Atlanta called Buckhead. Gently rolling hills, winding creeks, and mature hardwoods characterize this select–and historic–residential area which was first developed during the early decades of the twentieth century.

Laura Drummond presented the completed nomination to the Georgia National Register Review Board on October 28, 2022, and the property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on December 19, 2022.

Contractors Donaldson & Pierson began construction of the load-bearing brick building with limestone accents in June 1905.  It was dedicated on May 30, 1906, and the first students moved in during September of that year.  Notable architectural features include two cupolas, seven chimneys, a wrap-around verandah with star-patterned balustrade, decorative eave brackets, and a double front-entrance door with leaded glass sidelights and a four-lite arched fanlight. The ground floor historically housed the dining hall, kitchen, chapel, meeting rooms, and parlors, while the upper two floors were dormitories.  Today the dormitories remain upstairs, but the ground floor now has a central lobby, the Katherine Woltz Reception Room, and the College Admissions, Development, and Marketing & Public Relations offices.

For the project, Laura Drummond of APPS with Jean Spencer, paint conservator, investigated the building, taking photographs, and collecting mortar and paint samples.  Paint analysis was performed by Frank Welsh of Welsh Color & Conservation, Inc., while David Arbogast of Arbogast Mortar Analysis tested the mortar and stucco samples. Laura’s report included a building description, a building chronology, an assessment of the exterior conditions, and prioritized maintenance recommendations.

The award-winning rehabilitation of Rebekah was done by Jenkins·Peer Architects of Charlotte, NC. In 2018, the building won the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Chairman’s Award for Excellence in Sustainable Rehabilitation, and received LEED Platinum Certification. In 2020, Rebekah received the North Carolina AIA Tower Award.

The plan required Level 1 and 2 surveys of historic buildings, a campus history, a summary of the historic context in which the campus developed, and evaluations of the University’s historic buildings.  Laura took all the photographs and surveyed the campus.  She wrote the historic context and campus history sections* of the plan, and produced more than ten maps of the campus, its historic buildings, structures, exterior artwork, and landscapes, and the national and locally designated historic buildings and districts in the area.  She created a master database of all the historic structures and produced GIS files for the University. [*Note: Stantec in conjunction with GSU’s Facilities Management Department published the document (without notifying Laura) before the history sections were completed. As published, both are woefully incomplete and an embarrassment to the author, who had entire sections on Civil Rights, the Vietnam War, etc., which do not appear in the published report. When she unexpectedly received via email a copy of the “final” report, no recourse was available to insert the omitted sections.]

Pursuant to Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the project was carried out under the Memorandum of Agreement between HUD and the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office.  The Agreement stipulated that a comprehensive history of public housing in the City of Marietta be prepared to mitigate the adverse effect of the demolition of Fort Hill Homes, which was determined to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  Laura Drummond of APPS researched and wrote From Holland Town to the Renaissance on Henderson, A Social and Developmental History of the Marietta Housing Authority.  The history was co-authored by retired MHA Executive Directors Ray Buday and George Green.  Facilitating the research were the extensive records of the Authority, which were donated by a Deed of Gift from MHA to the Archives at Kennesaw State University.  Fort Hill Homes was demolished in 2013.

Image, above:  Fort Hill Homes plans cover sheet, courtesy of the Marietta Housing Authority, photo by L. M. Drummond

The survey team was led by Laura Drummond of APPS, and included Morrison Design, Karen Huebner, and Jean Spencer.  The team conducted preliminary research into the area to identify historic contexts, patterns of development, and significant historic properties.  A parcel-by-parcel investigation of the area was conducted, and each qualifying property was photographed, documented, and entered into GNAHRGIS, the online database of the Georgia SHPO.  Also included in the survey were public art, public parks, signage, and parking structures.  Laura Drummond created the survey spreadsheet, from which she produced a database for input into ArcGIS.  All survey properties were documented in APPS-produced tables and maps according to a variety of criteria, including age, current building use, building type, architectural style, and local and federal historic building and district designations.

For over 130 years, Bethel A.M.E. Church has served not only as a house of worship, but also as the social center and principal gathering place of the community.  The church was designated a City of Acworth Historic Landmark in 1998, and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on May 9, 2002.  The Romanesque Revival style church is a rare example of a 19th century African American church that remains virtually intact and still home to a vibrant A.M.E. congregation.  In 2012, the church authorized the documentation of the property in a conditions assessment report undertaken by Laura Drummond of APPS.  The report was the preliminary to a capital campaign to raise funds for the rehabilitation of the church.

In July 2012, the Chickamauga City Council and Historic Preservation Commission contracted with APPS to conduct a Phase 1 survey of the historic resources in the City.  The purpose of the survey was for city planning purposes, to assist preservation activities, and to augment the Georgia Historic Resources Survey.  The survey area comprised 439 properties, of which 356 resources met the survey criterion of being constructed prior to 1972.  Each of these was digitally photographed, documented, and entered into GNAHRGIS, the online database of the Georgia Historic Preservation Division.  The final report included maps, tables, a developmental history of the area, architectural analysis, potential National Register eligibility assessments, and recommendations for preservation.

This historic site is owned by the City of Roswell, who commissioned a Historic Structure Report from Robert & Company.  Laura Drummond was hired as the the project leader.  She investigated, researched, and produced the report, including construction history, architectural analysis, conditions assessment, maintenance plan, recommendations for preservation and treatment, and photographic documentation of the fourteen-acre site.