Buckhead Heritage announced Monday a $100,000 partnership to renovate the E. Rivers Lodge, a 115-year-old wooden structure along Peachtree Creek that has long been hidden behind a chain-link fence and overgrown vegetation.
The lodge, built in 1911 by one of Buckhead’s founding families, is one of the oldest standing structures in the neighborhood. It has been used in recent decades for storage and has fallen into disrepair, with a sagging porch, rotting floorboards and water damage throughout.
Under the agreement, Buckhead Heritage will fund repairs to the foundation, roof, windows and porch, and will install a new accessible bathroom. The organization will then open the lodge for educational programming and small community gatherings, including school field trips focused on Atlanta history.
“This is one of the most important pieces of Buckhead’s history, and almost nobody knows it exists,” said Buckhead Heritage president Wright Mitchell. “We want to fix it up and put it to work for the community.”
The renovation is expected to be completed by next spring. The City of Atlanta’s Department of Parks and Recreation, which owns the property, will maintain the building once the work is done.
The announcement comes as several other Buckhead historic sites are being restored. Last month, the Atlanta History Center completed a multi-year renovation of the Tullie Smith Farm, and the Governor’s Mansion on West Paces Ferry Road is preparing for a centennial celebration in 2027.
Buckhead Heritage is a nonprofit founded in 2002 to preserve the architectural and cultural history of the Buckhead community. The group will host a public open house at the lodge once restoration is complete.
