Community Corner

House Hunt: The Metamorphosis Of 750 Gresham Ave.

What was once a neighborhood eyesore is being restored to its former glory.

The southeast corner of Gresham and Ormewood avenues in East Atlanta is truly undergoing a metamorphosis.

Longtime residents remember the ramshackle eyesore that was 750 Gresham Ave. SE.

The then-1,444-square-foot home was literally an "open" house, given that it had holes in the roof, as well as the side that fronted Ormewood Avenue. On the opposite side of the house, the floor had collapsed to the ground and the wall was missing.

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Homeless people lived there while drug users went there to get high. And then there was trash. Lots of it.

Decatur-based ParcLife Homes, which specializes in purchasing distressed properties to restore them, bought the house for less than $100,000 last year. (As dilapidated as it was, DeKalb County's appraisal department pegged its value at $140,000.)

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At the time of purchase, Robbie Williams, a principal of the company, told East Atlanta Patch he and his partners bought it because they could see the potential beauty beyond the ugly.

He called Patch last week to invite us — and the neighborhood — to see their progress, thus far.

Though it’s still a couple months away from being finished, the craftsman bungalow-style home, originally built in 1940, already looks much different from its prior state.

At completion, the home will have three bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms and a side porch.

When fully done, we'll return for another update.

ParcLife, which restored the home at 1368 Ormewood Ave. and sold it last year, won't be done in the neighborhood when the Gresham project is complete.

Just across the street at 730 Gresham is another distressed home the company bought after the homeowner fell into foreclosure.

ParcLife plans on starting on that renovation work after it completes the current project at 750 Gresham.


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