Design&Build Magazine July/Aug 2015

Gothic Oglethorpe University
centerpiece of fine vintages and regular
tastings. The residential streets showcase
mansions surrounding a golf course and
country club.
North Dekalb’s jewel is Dunwoody,
a high-end assemblage of top shopping,
posh hotels, nice homes and naturally,
even more highly ranked restaurants.
The strategically located Marcus Jewish
Community Center is a cultural treasure.
Pulitzer Prize winner and Emory University
professor Natasha Tretheway, the
recent Poet Laureate of the United States,
calls Dekalb home.. She is a familiar face
at the highly successful Decatur Book
Festival on Labor Day weekend.
The area is not lacking in nostalgia and
history. Emory’s financial basis is inextricably
entwined with the business success
of Coca-Cola. Both baseball legend Ty
Cobb and humorist Lewis Grizzard were
patients at Emory University Hospital
prior to their death, and if you walk the
campus and get lucky, you might see Nobel
Laureates Jimmy Carter or The Dalai
Lama.
Decatur has restored the home of Mary
Gay, a feisty and well-educated woman
who was witness to the Civil War battles
culminating with the Battle of Atlanta and
the destruction of the city in 1864. She is
buried in Decatur’s lovely Old Cemetery.
Some very credible locals whose ancestors
knew both Ms. Gay and author Margaret
Mitchell believe she was part of the
composite that became Scarlett O’Hara.
Dekalb juxtaposes the best of the Old
and New South. This gemstone is an enchanting
place to relax, learn and satisfy
a robust thirst and appetite.
DB
Written by Doc Lawrence
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JUL/AUG 2015 • DESIGN&BUILD MAGAZINE