South Decatur area sees upswing in popularity and property value

Oakhurst Neighborhood Association

Laura Raines - For the Journal-Constitution
Sunday, June 20, 2004

After waves of ups and downs, this old Decatur area is trendy: You'll find upgrades, fun cafes and busy volunteers building a vibrant community spirit in the 'next Virginia-Highland'.

Their home (far left) has a comfy feel that helps Patrick Putman, the neighborhood association president, relax with this wife, Shannon, and children, 2-year old David and 1-year-old Caroline.

Elizabeth Wilson has lived in the Decatur neighborhood of Oakhurst since 1964 and seen it through good times and bad. With new shops, cafes and residents moving in, housing prices going up, a successful community garden project, play equipment added to the park and community activities flourishing, this is definitely a good time.

"I'm excited about the changes," Wilson said. "We worked for 20 years to make something happen with the historic Scottish Rite site, and now it's been totally renovated as a community center.

Former Decatur Mayor Elizabeth Wilson lovers her bungalow (far left). She's lived in Oakhurst since the 1960's.

"It's great to feel safe in your neighborhood and to be able to walk around the corner and eat in a new restaurant. The business association is up and running. We're helping seniors with property tax relief, and our arts and crafts festival is fun for everyone. There's a new air of excitement for those of us who have lived through so many changes," said Wilson, who heads the South Decatur Community Development Corp.

The rebirth of Oakhurst is the direct result of volunteers such as Wilson who have been willing to invest time and energy in their neighborhood.
Wilson has served as Decatur mayor five times and directed a community health-care center in Oakhurst. Before that, she worked to bring about the desegregation of Decatur schools in the 1960s.

"I had grown up under 'separate but equal.' It was separate but never equal. I wanted education for my children to be different --- in a better facility, with books and supplies," she said. Without marches or demonstrations, parents took their case to the school superintendent and refused to take no for answer. Wilson's son was one of the first African-Americans to graduate from Decatur High School.

Wilson bought her first house in Oakhurst in 1964, when the neighborhood was transitioning racially. "It went from predominantly white to predominantly black, and then people got in over their heads and the foreclosures started. There were more renters than owners, and we struggled to keep the neighborhood stable," she said.

The closing of Scottish Rite Hospital in 1976 brought further decline and empty business buildings. Later, as old intown neighborhoods began getting spruced up, Oakhurst's low prices and convenient location began attracting urban pioneers and investors.

The neighborhood has an interesting mix of bungalows and traditional homes built on 1/2-acre to 3/4-acre yards, according to Candace Fuqua, a real estate agent with Bo Bridgeport Brokers. "You can still get a modest two-bedroom home in the $230,000s, but larger houses and new homes cost from the mid-$300,000s to over $400,000," she said.

Two years ago, Fuqua bought a new townhouse in the Parkview at Oakhurst development next to Oakhurst Park.

People in the market for a home in Oakhurst "are attracted to the neighborhood's diversity of residents and housing, its excellent schools and Oakhurst's sense of community," Fuqua said. "I lived in Dunwoody 12 years and hardly knew my neighbors. This is a very close-knit neighborhood with sidewalks and the little village of shops and restaurants where people sit out and talk to their neighbors."

Candace Fuqua bought a new townhouse in the Parkview at Oakhurst development (far left).

Kathy O'Brien remembers when the area was considered a war zone. It was the kind of area where cars got stolen, houses were abandoned and you could find drug needles in the park. But five years ago, the Bo Bridgeport Brokers agent sensed that the neighborhood was changing.

Kathy O'Brien and Mary A. White enjoy the back porch of their three-story Craftsman bungalow (far left). They love the energy that brims in the neighborhood now.

Finding the new energy contagious, she and her partner, Mary A. White, moved into a new three-story Craftsman bungalow. "People ask us if we renovated the home or someone else did it. They don't realize it's new. I love that builders are putting up old styles on in-fill lots to blend with the neighborhood," O'Brien said.
White, who grew up on Long Island, thought Oakhurst was a bit "sketchy" at first, but now she loves it --- especially the diversity and openness.

"You see a black guy and a white girl with a baby carriage walking down the street, and no one even notices. We have gays, singles, young couples with kids, seniors, blacks, whites all living together," White said. "I love our house and this neighborhood."

"Vibrant" is the word Dennis Headings uses. As president of the Oakhurst Business Association, he predicts the neighborhood will be the next Virginia-Highland. "There are 32 businesses now --- a blend of restaurants, shops, galleries and professional services," he said.

Charles Cope, owner of the One Step at a Time athletic shoe store, says the location keeps getting better because residents and owners are willing to get involved to improve the community.

"There's some head-butting at neighborhood association meetings, but having too many opinions is much better than not enough," Headings said. "This neighborhood does a better job of blending cultural differences than anyplace else I've ever lived."

Sandy Johnson said she "woke up" one morning sitting on I-85, wondered why she was commuting 75 minutes every day and decided to move closer to town. "Oakhurst reminded me of the neighborhood I grew up in Birmingham, where people sat out on their porches and waved to you when you drove by," she said. She bought a 1946 brick cottage and now walks to the East Lake MARTA station for her work commute.

She serves on the SDCDC and is a member of the Oakhurst Neighborhood Association. Everything is done by volunteers. There are no dues, but people pass the hat at meetings, and there are lots of fund-raising activities to help fund jazz evenings, wine crawls, garden tours and the annual arts and crafts festival. Residents can read all about it in The Oakhurst Leaflet, a monthly newsletter.

The multigenerational Oakhurst Community Garden Project is headed by Sally Wylde. Realizing that city kids didn't know much about nature, she spearheaded efforts to start a nonprofit community garden on a donated lot in 1997.

Patrick Putman, president of the neighborhood association, says support for the association's improvement projects and social activities is enthusiastic across the board. "We try to provide entertainment for local residents to mix and mingle."

"For people who don't live here, we try and give them a reason to come, try our businesses and have fun," he said, "so they'll want to live here, too." The plan seems to be working.

History

Oakhurst was incorporated in 1910 and annexed by Decatur six years later. A variety of bungalows (circa 1900-1950), a small commercial center and several parks make up the neighborhood. Some of the oldest homes (on Adams Street) were developed by Georgia Adams and designed by architect Lila Ross Wilburn from 1905 to 1912.

They are part of the MAK (McDonough, Adams, Kings Highway) Historic District. Property values are rising, and builders are putting up new homes on in-fill lots.

The Scottish Rite Hospital building on West Hill Street is a neighborhood landmark, built in 1918. A small business district that grew up around the hospital now houses new shops and restaurants. The hospital closed in 1976. Recent renovations turned it into a community center and an area with retail and office space.

Property taxes: About $5,589 on a $300,000 house with homestead exemption

Amenities

Oakhurst Park, McKoy Park, Harmony Park, Oakhurst Neighborhood Association, Decatur schools and services, the Solarium at Old Scottish Rite, Oakhurst Business Association, Oakhurst Community Garden Project, South Decatur Community Development Corp., Samuel L. Jones Boys & Girls Club
Schools: Oakhurst Elementary, Renfroe Middle, Decatur High.