Joseph Neel Reid (October 23, 1885 – February 14, 1926), also referred to as Neel Reid, was a prominent architect in
Atlanta
Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
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* Related to the ...
, in the early 20th century as a partner in his firm
Hentz, Reid and Adler.
![Atlanta Amtrak Station](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5b/Atlanta_Amtrak_Station.jpg)
Reid was born in
Jacksonville
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
, in 1885. He moved to
Macon,
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
, with his family in 1890.
[Mitchell, William. ''J. Neel Reid Architect.'' Golden Coast Publishing. p.18.] After an apprenticeship with architect
Curran Ellis, Reid moved to Atlanta to continue his career at the suggestion of his mentor. Reid specialized in elaborate homes, but he also designed commercial, transportation, educational, medical, and university buildings. Many of these buildings survive today, primarily centered in the
Buckhead
Buckhead is the uptown commercial and residential district of the city of Atlanta, Georgia, comprising approximately the northernmost fifth of the city. Buckhead is the third largest business district within the Atlanta city limits, behind Downto ...
and
Ansley Park
Ansley Park is an intown residential district in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. When developed in 1905-1908, it was the first Atlanta suburban neighborhood designed for automobiles, featuring wide, win ...
sections of Atlanta and in
Athens, Georgia
Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...
.
The blueprints of Reid's designs are held as part of the
Hentz, Reid and Adler Drawing Collection at the Archives and Special Collections of the
Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta.
Reid lived in
Mimosa Hall (built by Major John Dunwoody c. 1840) in
Roswell which he bought in 1916 and extensively renovated including designing the gardens.
Reid died of brain cancer on February 14, 1926, at the age of 40 and was buried in
Rose Hill Cemetery in
Macon, Georgia.
A number of his works are listed on the U.S.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
(NRHP).
![Alexander Hotel](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Alexander_Hotel.jpg)
Reid was the architect for the following buildings:
In Athens, Georgia:
*Commerce-Journalism Building,
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
North Campus, now called Brooks Hall
*James R. White, Jr. House, 1084 Prince Avenue
*Michael Brothers Houses, Prince Avenue (between the
President's House (University of Georgia)
The President's House, also known as the Benjamin H. Hill House or the Grant-Hill-White-Bradshaw House, was erected in 1856 in Athens, Georgia. The mansion has served as University of Georgia president's residence since it was donated to the Univ ...
and the
Henry W. Grady House, now demolished
*Michael Brothers Store, 320 East Clayton Street
In the Atlanta, Georgia, area:
*Haas-Howell Building, 75 Poplar St., Atlanta GA
*
Henry B. Tompkins House, 125 W. Wesley Rd., NW., Atlanta GA
*
Peachtree station, Atlanta's
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada ...
station, 1688 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta GA
*
Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children, 321 W. Hill St., Decatur GA
*Several buildings in the
Whitlock Avenue Historic District, Roughly bounded by McCord St., Oakmont St., Whitlock Ave., Powder Springs Rd., Trammel St., Maxwell Ave., and Hazel St., Marietta GA
*Several houses in the
Ansley Park Historic District
Ansley Park is an intown residential district in Atlanta, Georgia, located just east of Midtown and west of Piedmont Park. When developed in 1905-1908, it was the first Atlanta suburban neighborhood designed for automobiles, featuring wide, wi ...
, Atlanta GA
*
Stuart Witham House, 2922 Andrews Dr., NW, Atlanta GA
Elsewhere in Georgia:
*
Hawkes Children's Library, N. College St., Cedartown GA
*
Hawkes Library, 210 S. 6th St. Griffin GA
*Hawkes Children's Library, Jackson, Georgia
*Langford House (1913), at 900 Main Street in
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is an Atlanta suburb, the county seat of and only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, United States. The city is 24 miles (38.6 km) east of downtown Atlanta and is a part of the Atlanta Metropolitan Area. As of the 2010 census, th ...
,
Conyers Residential Historic District[ with (with the Langford House in photo 1)]
*
Robert E. Dismukes, Sr., House, 1617 Summit Dr., Columbus GA
*
St. George's Episcopal Church (Griffin, Georgia), 132 N. Tenth St., Griffin, GA
*
Villa Albicini, 150 Tucker Rd., Macon GA
In Florida:
*
Alexander Hotel (St. Petersburg, Florida)
The Alexander Hotel is an historic hotel located at 535 Central Avenue between 5th Street S. and 6th Street S. in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. The four-story, buff-colored brick building was built in 1919 and was designed by Neel Reid in the ...
, 535 Central Ave. St. Petersburg FL
*
310 West Church Street Apartments
The 310 West Church Street Apartments, also known as the Ambassador Hotel, is a historic building located at 420 North Julia Street in Jacksonville, Florida, Jacksonville, Florida, United States. On April 7, 1983, it was added to the U.S. National ...
, 420 N. Julia St., Jacksonville FL, which later became the ''Ambassador Hotel''
Reid's work is the focus of two books:
*James Grady, Architecture of Neel Reid in Georgia, University of Georgia Press, 1973
*William Mitchell, Jr., J. Neel Reed, Architect, of Hentz, Reid & Adler, and the Georgia School of Classicists, Gold Coast Publishing, 1997.
References
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External links
Druid Hills Homes by Joseph Neel Reid
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Neel
1885 births
1926 deaths
People from Jacksonville, Alabama
American residential architects
History of Atlanta
People from Macon, Georgia
People from Roswell, Georgia
20th-century American architects
Architects from Alabama
Architects from Georgia (U.S. state)
Deaths from brain cancer in the United States
Deaths from cancer in Georgia (U.S. state)