Nondescript but historically significant, a Buckhead architectural landmark well over a century old is now set for a new chapter in life. 

Blink and you’ll miss the modest, three-room building colloquially called The Lodge at 2548 Peachtree Battle. It’s tucked off Peachtree Road, across the street from the Peachtree Battle Shopping Mall and more modern landmarks, including The Dillon luxury condo tower. 

But the 1911 structure was designed by Carrère and Hastings—the esteemed New York City firm behind the New York Public library and other nationally recognized landmarks—and it’s been known to generations of adoring Buckhead residents as the E. Rivers Lodge and Mrs. Bloodworth’s Kindergarten (the latter reflecting where many began their educations, between 1929 and the 1950s). 

While owned by Atlanta Public Schools and listed as “surplus,” the little white property was in limbo for years, as preservationists worked to ensure it was saved. Those efforts, as of last month, have concluded.

Buckhead Heritage (formerly Buckhead Heritage Society) has struck an agreement with APS to relocate its headquarters into The Lodge on Peachtree Battle, with plans to restore it and open the landmark back up to the community.

The Lodge as shown in the September 1913 issue of “American Architect”.Courtesy of Buckhead Heritage, via University of California archives

The Lodge today, overlooking Peachtree Battle. Courtesy of Buckhead Heritage

Officials with Buckhead Heritage—a grassroots, nonprofit historic preservation and cultural resource organization founded 20 years ago—consider the building “one of Buckhead’s most storied structures,” and one that’s played “an outsized role in the neighborhood’s development,” according to a recent announcement detailing the APS deal. 

Buckhead Heritage plans to invest close to $100,000 into upgrading the building and its grounds, as part of a partnership with the Peachtree Battle Alliance that’s being privately funded with no taxpayer support, officials note. 

Today, the site is directly across the street from E. Rivers Elementary School, one of the oldest public schools in Atlanta.  

“This is one of the most historic buildings in Buckhead and the City of Atlanta,” Ivan Allen, who oversaw the APS agreement on behalf of Buckhead Heritage, said in the announcement. “We don’t have many 115-year-old buildings.”

Looking north up Peachtree Road, the historic 2548 Peachtree Battle structure in question (left) in relation to The Dillon luxury condo tower and Peachtree Battle Shopping Mall. Google Maps

The Lodge in 1913. Courtesy of Buckhead Heritage

According to the preservationist organization, the Peachtree Battle property’s roots trace back to the early 19th century, when pioneer settler Meredith Collier established a farm in the area along what’s Peachtree Road today.  

Later, in 1910, the Peachtree Heights Development Company bought Collier’s 483-acre estate, putting in place the foundation for today’s Buckhead, per Buckhead Heritage.

Originally erected by developer Eretus Rivers in 1911 as the sales office for the Peachtree Heights Development Company, The Lodge played an integral role in building the historic Peachtree Heights West neighborhood. 

When E. Rivers Land Development Company donated the property and building to E. Rivers School—with perpetual deed restrictions that required the site to be used for educational, museum, or “similar community purposes”—the site became intertwined with Buckhead education. 

Those protections, according to Buckhead Heritage, remain in place today. 

The preservationist organization will “open this building up for the community, preserve and improve it, and create a space for residents and visitors to learn Buckhead’s history,” Frank Virgin, a Buckhead Heritage board member, said in statement. “This is exactly the kind of project Buckhead Heritage was created to champion.”

Buckhead Heritage, founded in 2006, is seeking community memberships, sponsorships, and contributions to support preservation and programming at The Lodge. 

Today, the nonprofit maintains several historic cemeteries, hosts free monthly lectures, organizes fundraising, and partners with the Atlanta History Center on an oral history program. Leaders say the new headquarters—a dedicated space for gatherings, education, and programs—will allow them to expand all those efforts. 

The Lodge's 2548 Peachtree Battle location, in relation to the nearby elementary school and Peachtree Road landmarks. Google Maps

From left, Mary Anne Walser, Frank Virgin, Buckhead Heritage executive director Richard Waterhouse, Chelsea Montgomery (Atlanta Public Schools), and Judith Vanderver. Walser, Virgin, and Vanderver are Buckhead Heritage board members.Courtesy of Buckhead Heritage

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