By Gretchen Keiser

The decision whether to renovate or to demolish and rebuild the archbishop’s residence on West Wesley Road in Atlanta has been resolved in favor of renovation.

The fate of the 67-year-old home has been under discussion for over six months, with various factors, including cost, and the disposition of city of Atlanta officials and the neighborhood involved. The home has been vacant since January, when Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ moved to a rented home for the duration of the project.

Following a meeting June 13 of the College of Consultors, a priest advisory group to the archbishop officials, the final decision to renovate was made by Father Edward Dillon, vicar general, and Archbishop Marino.

A cap of $650,000 has also been placed on the cost of renovation, which means that an earlier expanded renovation plan, which would have given the home additional floor space and added a garage, has been set aside. The $650,000 figure will enable a basic renovation of the house, Father Dillon said.

Renovation needed include a repaired roof, new plumbing, new electrical work and new heating and air conditioning systems to replace original systems that are poorly designed for the house and not functioning well, said Christopher Knott, facilities engineer at the Catholic Center who is overseeing the project for the archdiocese. The original tile roof has significant damage, he said.

The renovation plan also calls for some interior walls to be taken out to open up the house and permit the archbishop to host gatherings, meals and meetings of various sizes as necessary. The house has a number of small first-floor rooms connected by narrow halls, making large functions difficult to host, and forcing some gatherings to be held elsewhere.

One month ago, after lengthy consideration, the archdiocese opted to demolish the house and build a new one on the site because it was the less expensive option. At that time, building a new home was projected to cost $620,000 and the original renovation plan was estimated to cost over $800,000.

When the work began, however, city officials and some neighbors objected to the demolish rather than renovate, saying that the home had historic value. A move is underway to have the neighborhood declared an historic district.

After several meetings, the city granted a demolition permit, but the archdiocese has decided to move to renovation anyway on a smaller scale, Father Dillon said. The change came “in response to a clear concern by a significant number in the neighborhood” who opposed demolition, he said.

The College of Consultors recommended June 13 in favor of renovation with $650,000 cap in spending, Father Dillon said. The change in the renovation plan that was necessitated by the spending cap “was discussed in detail with the archbishop” by telephone” and approved by him,” Father Dillon said.

As a consequence of the concerns expressed by the city, the archdiocese now has consulting architect Kermit March of Hall, Norris, March assisting on the project, JMB Builders will be the construction company.