Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District

Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District
Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District is located in Metro Atlanta
Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District
Locationbounded by Atlanta in the north and Newnan in the south.
Coordinates33°28′40″N 84°49′16″W / 33.47778°N 84.82111°W / 33.47778; -84.82111
Built1925-1949, 1900-1924, 1875-1899, 1850-1874, 1825-1849
ArchitectWayne P. Sewell,
Hetty Jane Dunaway,
Monroe and Cagle[1]
Architectural styleQueen Anne, Bungalow/Craftsman
NRHP reference No.96001414
Added to NRHP1996[2]

The Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District is a rock and floral garden located south of the historic town of Roscoe in Coweta County, Georgia, and the adjacent Dunaway Gardens.[3] Part of the district is located in Fulton County. Seventy-nine buildings and two other structures contribute to the historic district.

History

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The land that became the gardens belonged to the family of Wayne Pendleton Sewell. Sewell was an actor and booking agent and he married the successful actress, Hetty Jane Dunaway, in 1916.[4]

Her husband wanted to return to his family's land and Dunaway had not been keen. It was said that she was told that she could do anything at the property she wanted. Hetty Jane Dunaway spent eighteen years overseeing construction of Dunaway Gardens, a "theater-garden" on her husband's family's former plantation in rural Georgia. She employed architects and a full-time stone mason for a decade.[5] The gardens included twelve spring-fed pools, a waterfall, sunken and hanging gardens and a thousand-seat amphitheatre. The swimming pool was created by using explosives to make a hole in granite.[6]

Dunaway opened the new grounds in 1934 as part of a performing arts training program for performers and other theater professionals.[7][8] There was a Honeymoon House where visitors could stay and the Blue Bonnet Tea Rooms served up meals. The customers included Roy Disney and Walt Disney and Tallulah Bankhead.[9]

One local historian noted that television and improved roads, which enabled people to travel to Atlanta to eat and see shows, reduced the interest in Dunaway Gardens through the 1950s. It closed in the 1960s.[10]

A few years after Dunaway's death, the gardens closed and they deteriorated under an overgrowth of kudzu[10] and an outbreak of arson.[9] The gardens were rediscovered by Jennifer Bigham and she and her family bought the gardens, and a buffer zone, to use as their own second home.[11] It was purchased in 2000, restored and reopened in 2003[12] after the Bighams gradually uncovered the lost attractions of the former gardens, theaters and swimming pool. The family had been intrigued by their discoveries and they decided to invest more of their savings in restoring the garden's attractions.[11] The site was opened to tourists and for weddings and the gardens are on the National Register of Historic Places.[6][13]

References

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  1. ^ Roscoe–Dunaway Gardens Historic District NRHP Website, retrieved February 19, 2012
  2. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
  3. ^ Welcome to Dunaway Gardens Dunaway Gardens, retrieved April 14, 2011
  4. ^ "Talented Arkansas Woman and Husband, Married at Conway". Daily Arkansas Gazette. October 8, 1916. p. 30. Retrieved April 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Hetty Jane Dunaway: Actress from Roscoe | Coweta County, GA Website". www.explorecoweta.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Dembling, Sophia (March 11, 2015). "Digging a Garden, Unearthing a Treasure: The Rediscovery of Dunaway Gardens". Saving Places; National Trust for Historic Preservation. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  7. ^ "Hetty Jane Dunaway: Actress from Roscoe". Explore Coweta. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  8. ^ "History". Dunaway Gardens. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. ^ a b "Visit Georgia - Dunaway Gardens". www.visitgeorgiaonline.com. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  10. ^ a b Robinson, Bill (December 11, 1997). "Kudzu Covers the Remnants of an Actress's Elegant Dream". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 271. Retrieved April 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b "Digging a Garden, Unearthing a Treasure: The Rediscovery of Dunaway Gardens | National Trust for Historic Preservation". savingplaces.org. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  12. ^ Andy Johnston (August 16, 2016). "Actual Factual Georgia: Dunaway Gardens restored to former glory". Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. ^ Dembling, Sophia (May 1, 2011). "Determined Women Keep Gardens in Bloom". The Miami Herald. p. 65. Retrieved April 16, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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