Historic Isaac Adair House Open After Renovations

LAWRENCEVILLE, GA — A historic, 190-year-old building in Lawrenceville has been re-opened to the public after more than $1 million in renovations.

The Isaac Adair House, located next to the Female Seminary in downtown Lawrenceville, was the site of a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. It was the third ribbon-cutting for a Gwinnett County project funded by the county's special-purpose, local option sales tax in the past week.

At the Isaac Adair House, $1.055 million in improvements included adding Americans With Disabilities Act accessibility at the house and seminary, a restroom building, storage for education programming supplies, landscaping and space for bus parking. Officials say the renovations will provide better access to the historic building and promote its use for school field trips, community meetings and other events.

"Having these two restored, historic buildings together on one improved site is yet another SPLOST-funded amenity that makes Gwinnett County such a great place to live," said Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Charlotte Nash.

One of Gwinnett's oldest buildings, the Isaac Adair House was built by its namesake, a farmer and surveyor who settled in Gwinnett in 1824 and lived in the county until he moved to Texas during the Civil War. Adair died on his way back to Gwinnett in 1866.

Through the years, the house has had a half-dozen other owners, most notably Marvin and Phyllis Hughes, who painstakingly restored it and had it listed on the National Register of Historic places. The county bought the structure and relocated it to get it out of the path of the planned Sugarloaf Parkway extension in 2008.

The Female Seminary opened in 1838 at a time when most colleges didn't admit women. It burned in the early 1850s, was rebuilt, and in 1888 was converted to a meeting house.

District 2 County Commissioners Lynette Howard said the site will continue its tradition of educating young people.

"Having been an educator, I know the demand for opportunities to enhance education related to science, technology, engineering, art and math," she said. "This site provides a unique opportunity to teach history and incorporate the creative engineering and technology concepts of the 1800s embedded in the original construction of these buildings. The living history programs implemented at this site will help preserve the lifestyle of frontier Gwinnett and bring history to life for our students."

District Commissioner 4 John Heard, an architect, said the Isaac Adair House and the Female Seminary signified a transition in the history of Gwinnett County.

"The architecture and the grandeur of those two buildings illustrate a moment in our county’s history when the citizens felt their young community had changed from a rough, frontier outpost to something a little more settled and refined," Heard said. "Projects like these remind us how fortunate we are to live in a community that appreciates and celebrates its past. They also reflect our commitment to constantly improving our quality of life, which makes Gwinnett County a great place to live and do business."

The Isaac Adair House celebration was the third event in the past week to recognize and officially open new recreational projects.

On July 11, supporters of sports, playtime and recreation joined county officials for back-to-back ribbon cuttings to mark the completion of a new gymnasium at George Pierce Park and a playground and other improvements at McDaniel Farm Park.

The new George Pierce Park gymnasium has a full-sized basketball court and elevated indoor track. The basketball court has two overlay courts for volleyball and badminton. The project was funded with $3.2 million in 2009 SPLOST revenue.

District 1 Commissioner Jace Brooks said the new gym fills a need in the community.

"The Suwanee area has an active and diverse population that will certainly take advantage of all that this new gym has to offer," he said.

The 134-acre McDaniel Farm Park received $3.4 million in upgrades for a new northeast entrance, an open play area, a picnic pavilion, a farm-themed playground, a dog park, trail extension, restrooms, landscaping and parking.

Photos courtesy Gwinnett County