“The Stores”
How Emory Village Came to be Located
on the Back Side of the Druid Hills Golf Club
By Jennie Richardson
Some early history of the area.
In 1821, the area now known as Druid Hills was surrendered to the Georgia government by Native American inhabitants, who moved further north. The land was surveyed into land lots of 202.5 acres. In a land lottery, Georgians could draw for the new lots. John Gerdine Johnson won or amassed most of the land between present day streets of Ponce de Leon, Briarcliff, North Decatur and Lullwater.
In 1864, during the Civil War, Cox’s Division of the Federal Army Corp camped along the bottom lands of Peavine Creek. The site of the encampment included part of the current Golf Course (then the Paden Farm) and what is now the CVS parking lot. On July 20 of 1864, General Sherman himself traveled by horseback up North Decatur Road to his headquarters (now the intersection of Briarcliff and University Drive.)
In 1890, all but ten acres*** of John Johnson’s land was sold to the Kirkwood Land Company, owned by Joel Hurt. The sale was in the amount of $63,000. Mr. Hurt hired landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted to design a suburban community on his 1400-acre property. Olmsted made a preliminary survey of the property and delivered a plan to Hurt in 1893. The 1893 plan has “Ponce de Leon Parkway” as its backbone, and shows parts of the cross streets, Oakdale, Lullwater, Springdale, and Fairview. Frederick Law Olmsted died in 1903. Olmsted’s stepson, John Charles Olmsted, produced a 1905 map of Druid Hills that was consistent with the senior Olmsted’s work. The plan included construction of an electric street railway (trolley.) Later, a planned tourist hotel and two lakes were eliminated from the original plan.
Mr. Hurt then sold the property to a real estate syndicate headed by Coca Cola President Asa G. Candler, with the understanding that Olmsted’s firm would continue to be involved in the project. Hurt realized $500,000 for the sale of 1400 acres.
In 1908, a charter was granted for the “Druid Hills Company.” Asa G. Candler was president; Forrest Adair was vice president; and George Adair was secretary and treasurer. Asa G. Candler conveyed to the Druid Hills Company, all of the land he had purchased from Joel Hurt. The Adair brothers published a brochure promoting Druid Hills and saying, “They acknowledged Joel Hurt’s vision and Olmsted’s design.” As a result of the promotion, lots in Druid Hills began to sell.
There were rigid restrictions on the lots in Druid Hills which were strictly enforced. The homes were to conform to a uniform building line. No stores, churches, schools, apartments, filling stations or anything other than private residences could be built in Druid Hills. The first home to be built was that of Judge John S. Candler, in 1909 at the corner of Ponce de Leon and Briarcliff Road. (Judge Candler’s home was also the first to be demolished and replaced with the Druid Hills Methodist Church.)
The Druid Hills Golf Club
On September 25, 1912, a petition was signed for incorporation of the Druid Hills Golf Club. Sixty prominent Atlantans signed the petition, including the officers of the Druid Hills Company. The charter was granted in May of 1913, and at that time, the property now known as the Druid Hills Golf Course was owned by the Druid Hills Company. A club house and golf course had been part of the original Druid Hills plan—but in a location where the Lullwater Estate is situated now. Instead, that land went to Asa’s daughter, Lucy, and the golf course was planned for the corner of Clifton and Ponce de Leon. The Druid Hills Company purchased additional land for the course from Col. Z.D. Harrison (Harrison owned most of today’s Fernbank Forest and later joined the new Golf Club.) The total acreage of the course was over 100 acres and extended from Ponce de Leon north to North Decatur Road. In 1912, George and Forrest Adair sold more lots, most close to or adjacent to the golf course. All purchasers except one became members of the golf club. The course was expected to be open for play by the summer of 1913.
Emory University
In 1915, Emory College re-located to Atlanta from its original Oxford, Georgia campus and was re-chartered as Emory University. Asa Candler was instrumental in bringing the college to Atlanta, donating 75 acres of Druid Hills Corporation’s land at the corner of North Decatur and Clifton Roads. Candler also donated one million dollars to establish the university. Subsequent gifts of land, inspired by the Candlers, brought the University’s land holdings to more than 400 acres by 1957. In 1923, The Druid Hills Company donated more land to Emory. The land was located at the corner of Oxford Road and North Decatur Road. Thie piece of land had previously been used by the DHGC.
The Stores on Oxford Road
As Emory University grew, and in response to the new inhabitants of Druid Hills, a shopping area known first as “The Stores” and later as “The Village” or “Emory Village” was established. Emory University was the recipient of the land at the southwest corner Oxford and North Decatur Roads. Emory then sold individual lots or parcels to individuals who sought to build businesses on the land. The roads around the stores were not paved until the mid-1920s and before “The Stores” came into being, the nearest market was a small country store located on the left side of Clifton Road between the railroad bridge and Gatewood Drive. The streetcar line came to the first crossing of North Decatur Road and Oxford Road and was later extended to the log cabin trolley stop at the foot of campus. The log cabin was a shelter for people awaiting the trolley.
In keeping with the wealth of Druid Hills, expensive yellow bricks were imported for use in building facades on the stores. This same brick appeared on Asa Candler’s home and on his son’s home on Springdale Road. Three of the original stores faced North Decatur Road, and one, though it had a North Decatur Road address, actually faced more toward Oxford. (This is approximately where Savi Provisions is located now.)
The Stores on North Decatur Road
In the 1930s, Druid Hills Golf Course played a role in the continuing development of Emory Village. In 1930, the DHGC Board voted unanimously to grant agent Frank T. Pike an option to purchase 300 feet of club property fronting North Decatur Road for $40,000. Despite an agreement, the property was not sold at this time.
John Howard Candler, grandson of Asa G. Candler had quite a talent for spotting sharp deals in real estate. In 1931, Candler made an offer to purchase the North Decatur Road frontage of Club property running 300 feet east to west and 150 north to south. Candler had seen a strip shopping center on a visit to the western United States and knew these centers would become increasingly important in future development as people became more dependent upon automobiles. Candler (whose father, grandfather and uncles were all Club members) had only a verbal agreement regarding the land. No money or deed had changed hands. Nevertheless, he proceeded to begin grading the property with plans to build stores. But 15 days after his agreement with the Club, the Club Directors discussed a situation that had arisen because some property owners in Druid Hills were threatening to sue the Club in order to keep Candler from erecting stores on the North Decatur Road property. Attorneys for the Messrs. Fleming, the owners of stores adjoining Candler’s property, wrote to Candler that they represented Dr. H.G. Estes, and other property owners, informing him that they intended to file suit to enjoin the building of stores on the property. Another suit, filed by resident Mrs. Eloise Cook, was against Candler and the Druid Hills Club.
The lawsuit(s) went to court and the court found that, “The court in issuing the injunction believed the evidence showed that the Druid Hills company developing the subdivision known as Druid Hills had a general scheme of development from the beginning, evidenced by the restrictions contained in the deeds to the various building lots and in the bond or title to the Club property, using a purpose and plan to restrict all the property against business houses.”
After 1935, the original covenants and restrictions in Druid Hills lapsed. This termination allowed the intrusion of churches, clubs, and apartment houses into the exclusive area. When the covenants ended, The Golf Club was once again eager to market their North Decatur Road property. J. F. Lilley wanted an option on one piece in order to construct a Sinclair Refining Company gas station. In 1936, John Howard Candler re-appeared and offered to help re-finance the insolvent Golf Club (which had struggled during the Depression) in return for a quit claim deed for the North Decatur Road Property. The Club “gave” the Druid Hills Company the land on North Decatur in return for Candler’s offer to re-finance the Club for $100,000. The Club later sold a strip of land adjoining Candler’s land to him for $100. This was how, in 1937, the later row of shops was added to Emory Village, as well as two new service stations.
The ”stores” and the land on which they sit have changed ownership and function numerous times. One or two people own more than one parcel of land in the village. Business functions have changed from utilitarian gas stations, hardware stores, and grocery stores, to a drugstore and many restaurants.
*** “All but ten acres”. John Johnson kept the ten acres where his farm buildings were located. The land was on Oakdale Road. The Johnson homestead cabin was located there, and later a sound brick home facing Oakdale was built for the family. Antoinette Johnson Matthews, who wrote “Oakdale Road” was raised in the brick house. Out-buildings included a barn, pasture, chicken coop and vegetable garden. In later years, most of the land was returned to woodland, until Philip Clark Builders purchased it and built “Druid Hills style homes.”