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Avondale Estates in DeKalb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

The Gutzon Borglum House

Avondale Estates

— 1924-1925 —

 
 
The Gutzon Borglum House Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Felch Dumas, July 22, 2008
1. The Gutzon Borglum House Marker
Inscription.

Gutzon Borglum, the world famous sculptor of Mt. Rushmore and the first man to work on the Confederate Memorial carving on Stone Mountain, lived in this house from 1924 to 1925. He had begun the Stone Mountain carving in 1923 with his plan that included Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis, Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson, and an army of Confederate soldiers on horseback, fading into the granite.

In 1924, Borglum became an early resident of the city of Avondale Estates, one of the first planned communities in Georgia. George Willis, the city's founder and Borglum's close friend, had urged him to live here while working on the Stone Mountain carving. Borglum accepted because Avondale Estates was convenient both to Atlanta and to his work on Stone Mountain.

In a controversial funding dispute with the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, Borglum destroyed his models for the carving and left Avondale Estates in 1925 to begin his monument work on Mt. Rushmore in South Dakota. Borglum died in 1941.
 
Erected 1983 by Avondale Community Action. (Marker Number 044-90.)
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these
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topic lists: Arts, Letters, MusicSettlements & SettlersWar, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Georgia Historical Society series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1924.
 
Location. 33° 46.524′ N, 84° 15.962′ W. Marker is in Avondale Estates, Georgia, in DeKalb County. It is on South Avondale Plaza north of the intersection of Berkeley and Kensington Roads, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Avondale Estates GA 30002, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont and in Metro Atlanta. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Waffle House (approx. 0.7
The Gutzon Borglum House image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Felch Dumas, July 22, 2008
2. The Gutzon Borglum House
miles away); Chapel First Baptist Church (approx. 0.9 miles away); Agnes Lee Chapter House UDC (approx. 1.4 miles away); July 22, 1864 (approx. 1½ miles away); Historic Decatur Cemetery (approx. 1½ miles away); During the Battle of Decatur (approx. 1.7 miles away); Marion Footman Wilson (approx. 1.7 miles away); The Stoneman Raid (approx. 1.7 miles away).
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 8, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 27, 2008, by Felch Dumas of Decatur, Georgia. This page has been viewed 1,668 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on July 27, 2008, by Felch Dumas of Decatur, Georgia. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.
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Aug. 20, 2026