Pam Salls

The Bricks were built by the Roswell Manufacturing Company in 1840. The Bricks were two apartment buildings that originally housed cotton mill workers and their families until the 1950's. The Brick's could quite possibly be the oldest standing apartment buildings in the United States. If only walls could talk, these buildings had also been used as a hospital for Union soldiers and also a library at one time. The two buildings contained a total of ten apartments and from the 1950's to the mid 1970's; they were intermittently used for both residential and business space. The structures were renovated in early 1980's and again more extensively in 1990. The buildings were once the home of the Roswell Founders Club, a private club that accommodated special events, until the owner decided to sell in 2004. In 2005, a trio of developers took over and began the tedious task of renovating this historic property into gorgeous modern row houses with all the newest conveniences, including elevators in each unit. Wanting to maintain the historical integrity of the buildings, they went to great lengths to use recycled materials such as old tin roof shingles for kitchen backsplashes and the old heart of pine floors were used to construct the doors.

These three story row houses are steps from Roswell's covered bridge, and within a short walk of the Historic Roswell shops and restaurants. Units range from 2,500 to 3,500 square feet. The most recent sale was a 4-bedroom unit that sold for $535,000 in October 2007.

Nestled in a small section of Roswell that has Cobb County taxes is the popular Loch Highland subdivision. In the late 1970's, developer Earl McMillen was looking to achieve the second-home concept of having a home that could double as a lake house or a mountain house and still be less than an hour away from downtown Atlanta.

Lots of development has popped up around Loch Highland, yet it remains a secluded and wooded enclave that feels more like a resort than a subdivision. Loch Highland is popular for not only it's serene setting, but mostly for its amenity package. The nearly 50-acre lake is stocked with fish. Members of Loch Highland are allowed to fish the lake, but most exercise the catch and release concept. Two pools, four tennis courts and a clubhouse make for a very active community.

Each home is positioned for maximum privacy and to take advantage of the natural setting. The lots are low maintenance because the trees were not clear-cut. In ensure the integrity of Loch Highland, homeowners still to this day, cannot remove trees without the homeowner associations' permission.

There are approximately 360 homes in Loch Highland, virtually all a ‘California Contemporary' design in various styles ranging from small one story ranches to three story homes with floor-ceiling glass walls. Those on the lake offer spectacular views! Square footage of the homes in Loch Highland range from 2,200-5,000 square feet and prices range from $200,000-$500,000.

Dr. Francis Robert Goulding was born in 1810, the son of Reverend Thomas Goulding who was the founder and first president of Columbia Theological Seminary. Roswell residents may recognize the Goulding name. The Goulding House is the large home sitting at the end of Goulding Place, just off of Canton Street, steps from Historic Roswell. Francis Robert Goulding was an author, clergyman and inventor and lived in this house at the time of his death August 22, 1881 and is buried in the Roswell Presbyterian Cemetery. Graduated from the University of Georgia in 1830, he was licensed to preach in 1833.

His life was devoted to the ministry until the failure of his health in 1865, when he applied himself to literature. Dr. Goulding is probably best known as the author of a series of adventure stories for children, including his most popular, "The Young Marooners". Like his father, he achieved eminence in the pulpit, filling many pastoral positions. In 1842, he invented a sewing machine but was never credited with the invention because he did not receive a patent for his work.

He served as a chaplain to confederate soldiers in Macon during the Civil War and soon retired to live in Roswell from the late 1860's until his death.

The Goulding Home is a private residence and is not available for tours.

Several of my clients have asked me what the deal with Mountain Park is. While showing property in this community, one even commented that it must be where people in the witness protection program go to live. This comment was predicated on the fact that maps do not accurately reflect the city streets and some even reference non-existent streets.

Before Mountain Park was incorporated in 1927, it was mostly comprised of summer cottages for Atlanta's wealthy. Mountain Park is an officially designated wildlife refuge, which protects all wildlife including birds, animals and reptiles. Some are rare and live in Mountain Park either part or all of the year.

The Cherokee Indians that lived in the area long ago believed that the Indian Spring that runs through Mountain Park had medicinal powers. The women would leave their homes in the hills and travel miles to retrieve Indian Spring water for an ailing member of their tribe. Local wisdom maintains that those who find their way into Mountain Park and the area of Indian Spring are drawn by the healing powers the spring offers. Indian Spring was the only source of water for many of the residents up until the 1960's.

Located off of Holcomb Bridge and at the end of Mountain Park Road, Mountain Park maintains it's quiet, rustic nature with 2 large lakes, Lake Garrett and Lake Cherful. Lake Cherful is in both Fulton and Cherokee Counties, hence the name. There is no zoning for businesses or commercial uses, only residential.

Known for its charm and uniqueness, over 500 residents are proud to call Mountain Park home.

Roswell's City Council just approved the submission of a grant application to bring stability to neighborhoods with abandoned and foreclosed homes due to the mortgage crisis. The grant, more specifically known as Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP), is a relatively new program to assist state and local governments in acquiring and redeveloping foreclosed properties that might otherwise become sources of abandonment within their communities. The redevelopment of these homes will help to stabilize neighborhoods and curtail the decline of housing values of neighboring homes.

Two Roswell communities have been identified as being eligible for this program, Holcomb Crossing and Liberty Square. Funds from the grant provide a benefit for people at or below 120% of the Atlanta Metro Area Median Income (AMI), which is just over $85,000 for a family of four. At least one quarter of the funds must benefit persons at or below 50% of AMI or $35,000 for a family of four.

HUD states that the NSP funds can be used for activities that include:
· Establishing financing mechanisms for purchase and redevelopment of foreclosed homes and residential properties;
· Purchase and rehabilitate homes and residential properties abandoned or foreclosed;
· Establish land banks for foreclosed homes;
· Demolish blighted structures;
· Redevelop demolished or vacant properties

Roswell has been allocated $721,321 to accomplish this effort. Bravo!