MAK Historic District (Decatur)
Encyclopedia
Decatur, Georgia
Decatur is a city in, and county seat of, DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. With a population of 19,335 in the 2010 census, the city is sometimes assumed to be larger since multiple zip codes in unincorporated DeKalb County bear the Decatur name...
.. It is named for the three main streets it encompasses (McDonough, Adams and Kings Highway) and covers ten city blocks of varying sizes. The district is located immediately west of Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College
Agnes Scott College is a private undergraduate college in the United States. Agnes Scott's campus lies in downtown Decatur, Georgia, nestled inside the perimeter of the bustling metro-Atlanta area....
, and south of College Avenue. Decatur's historic Oakhurst neighborhood developed to the south and west of the MAK historic district, resulting in the district being surrounded by structures of a similar context.
Overview
Decatur was founded in 1823, before neighboring Atlanta. The MAK neighborhood was Decatur's first residential subdivision, developed by John Mason and Poleman Weekes who purchased the property in 1907. Local architect Leila Ross WilburnLeila Ross Wilburn
Leila Ross Wilburn was an early 20th century architect, one of the first women in Georgia to enter that profession.-Early life:Leila Ross Wilburn was born in Macon, Georgia. In the midst of the economic depression of 1895, her family moved to Decatur, Georgia. There, she attended Agnes Scott...
designed many of the homes for Mason and Weekes.
The MAK neighborhood offers examples of the American Craftsman
American Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
style homes that were popular during the first three decades of the 20th century. The neighborhood sought listing as Decatur's first local historic district in order to establish design guidelines and a design review to protect its unique character..
It is the site of many movie and television filming locations, most recently the television series "October Road
October Road (TV series)
October Road is an American television drama that debuted on ABC on March 15, 2007 following Grey's Anatomy. It follows Nick Garrett , who after a decade returns to his hometown, the fictional Knights Ridge, Massachusetts.The series is produced by ABC Studios and GroupM Entertainment; the latter is...
" starring Tom Beringer, Geoff Stults
Geoff Stults
Geoffrey Manton "Geoff" Stults is an American actor. He is best known for his regular roles on 7th Heaven, October Road and Happy Town. During the 2011 network upfronts, Fox announced it was picking up The Finder, a spin-off of Bones, in which Stults will star as the title character.-Early...
and Laura Prepon
Laura Prepon
Laura Prepon is an American actress, best known for her role as Donna Pinciotti in the long-running Fox situation comedy That '70s Show, for all eight seasons. She is also known for the role of Hannah Daniels on the ABC drama October Road...
and the 2007 movie "Stomp the Yard
Stomp the Yard
Stomp the Yard is a 2007 drama and dance film produced by Rainforest Films and released through Sony Pictures' Screen Gems division on January 12, 2007. Directed by Sylvain White, Stomp the Yard centers around DJ Williams, a college student at a fictional historically Black university who pledges...
" starring Columbus Short
Columbus Short
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
.