The red brick house that sits across the street from Burger King in Gainesville received a new title this week - local historic home.
The Harper-Smith house at 817 Athens St. belonged to several prominent members in Gainesville's black community, and Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church members decided to seek historic designation and start a restoration process after a fire gutted the upstairs.
"It is in the area of the thriving African-American business community from the Gainesville Urban Renewal initiative in the 1970s," said Brian Wells, a church member who spoke on behalf of the proposal when it went before Gainesville City Council on Tuesday.
The property is documented as one of the few remaining residential buildings in the area that once was home to prominent black community members.
"Although economic and community growth is imperative, development can negatively impact Gainesville's sense of place if significant features or groups of important resources are not protected," Wells said. "Designating the Harper-Smith house property will allow the city to manage growth in a way which preserves yet promotes the continued use of the historic homes in the area."
The property was home to William Harper, the first black
principal in Gainesville of Summer Hill and Fair Street schools, who helped the city's black students find opportunities and attend college. He opened his home to students for food and support, as well as other black educators traveling through Gainesville.
Harper sold the home to Enoch and Latrelle Smith, who were members of Bethel, and they willed the property to the church when they died. The home is documented as a New South cottage, and the main part of the house constructed in 1930 remains intact. Alterations to the home include the enclosure of a front porch and a brick layer applied to the exterior, which was likely first made of wood.
"It's an interesting house, it really is, and we're happy to have this as a historic home," Mayor Ruth Bruner said Tuesday night when the council approved the recommendation. "I always thought it was an interesting house and wondered who lived there. Now we know, and all of our citizens need to know and be proud."
Church members have raised money to begin restoring the house and said they hope the process moving forward will become easier with the historic designation.
"There's a lot of history in this house," said David Martin, another church member. A group of church members formed a committee two years ago to tackle the historic ordinance process.
"I wish we could have done this before it caught fire," he said. "Parts of the inside were unique, and the woodwork looked handcrafted."
The house has nine rooms and three fireplaces with chimneys. Church members hope to start cleaning up and repairing the house in October. The completed project will house a library upstairs and several meeting rooms downstairs for community and church members to hold Bible study classes and seminars, Martin said.
"I'm ready to see something happen. We've done fundraisers, worked concessions at University of Georgia football games last year and held yard sales," Martin said with a laugh. "We've done a lot and have a good start, but there's still a lot of work to do."