The historic Connally Marchman home in downtown Villa Rica has been named to 2014’s “Places in Peril” list by The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.
Located on the campus of Happy Valley Baptist Church near the intersection of Hwy 61 and Main Street, the house was built in 1915 and once served as the home of some of the city’s most prominent residents.
The home was built for the family of Dr. H.R. Marchman and once had the only working home telephone in Villa Rica.
The daughter of Dr. Marchman married Sharon Cornelius Connally, of Dallas, Ga. Eventually, Dr. Marchman’s daughter and her family moved into the home and Joyce Connally became the only female mayor of Villa Rica, serving from January 1976 until December 1979.
Amy Connally Streeter, Joyce’s daughter, still remembers playing hide and go seek in the big house and running through the streets outside as a child. The family sold the house to First Baptist Church in 1978, but left a lifetime of memories for her.
Today the house is owned by Happy Valley. It still sees some use but has fallen into a state of semi-disrepair. The second floor has been deemed unsafe by the fire marshal and recently the house had issues with carpenter bees.
The designation doesn’t guarantee anything in the way of grants or revitalization, but for the Villa Rica Historic Preservation Commission, making the list is a new opportunity for the house.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean you will get grants, but it brings attention to the property,” said Janet Hyde, director of community development for the city. “It brings attention from investors and from people interested in certain properties. There was a property in Cave Springs that was on the list, and former Georgia governor Roy Barnes did a fundraiser there last year.”
Attempts to get in touch with Happy Valley Baptist Church were unsuccessful as of this writing.
Properties from all over the state can be submitted for the Places in Peril list, but only 10 make the final cut. Hyde made clear the list isn’t a way to shame the properties. They have to be eligible for the state or national register of historic places and be salvageable to make the list. This year’s Places in Peril list was premiered at a reception in Atlanta’s Rhodes Hall last week.
The house is already located in the North Villa Rica Residential Historic District. Patricia Proctor, a descendant of the Connally family and member of the Historic Preservation Commission, hopes to see it one day regain its former glory.
“We are very happy about this,” she said. “What we’re hoping is [The Georgia Trust] will help us see what our next step will be. Right now our focus is just on not letting it fall into further ruin. When we saw the other places on the list, some of the buildings were in much worse shape than the Connally house.”
Proctor’s dream is for the house to be totally restored, including the reattachment of two rounded porches on either side that have been removed. She sees it being used as an event space with a full kitchen.
“It would be wonderful to have weddings right here in town,” she said. “People could use it for showers or art shows. I could see lots of things happening here.”
Proctor lived in Connecticut for 26 years before moving back to Villa Rica 11 years ago. She’s seen a lot of historic houses restored since moving back, and hopes to add Connally Marchman to that list.
“I’d like to see these houses saved and restored for our prosperity,” she said. “That’s what it’s about, saving what you have instead of paving paradise to put up a parking lot.”
Streeter has similar hopes for the house.
“People should be able to go inside,” she said. “It’s so beautiful.”
Connally-Marchman is a 4,400-square-foot home is a good example of early twentieth century Neoclassical Revival style. It has the typical central hallway design of that period. It is two stories with a double portico front porch, stretcher bond brick work, leaded glass and original paint underneath the porch.
There are cornice bands with bases below the windows. The columns have brick bases and there are bay windows. There is a singled side dormer and palladium front dormer. It is located at the corner of Dallas Highway and Magnolia Street, and for the most part, Magnolia has maintained its historic fabric as the current property owners have maintained the homes.
Many of the homes date to late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The street itself is a prime example of the rich historic architecture in Villa Rica, as there are examples of Queen Anne, Bungalows, and New South Cottages.