Huge swath of Buckhead hits the market. Any big ideas?

A tranquil slice of Buckhead with a unique backstory is up for grabs, presenting what sellers call a “once in a lifetime opportunity” for a big price.  

Larger than downtown’s Centennial Olympic Park and Woodruff Park combined, the 3910 Randall Mill Road property spans about 30 acres among palatial estates just east of Interstate 75 and south of I-285.

Today it’s mostly woods, with a gorgeous section of Nancy Creek running through.

“When you’re there, you don't even feel like you’re in Atlanta—it’s a slice of the mountains,” Atlanta resident Nick Stinnett, who’s hiked his dogs many times along the the property's creek, tells Urbanize Atlanta. “It will probably be subdivided and developed, which is sad, because it would be an incredible nature park.” 

The property listed last week with Ansley Real Estate/Christie’s International Real Estate for a cool $15 million, offering a rare undeveloped swath of Buckhead larger than a few acres. The “legacy property” includes “as rich a history as you can find” in the city, notes the listing.

The previous owner—celebrated Atlanta photographer and philanthropist Lucinda Bunnen, the “godmother of Southern photography” who helped build the High Museum of Art’s photo collection—died last year at age 92.

Back in the mid-1950s, Bunnen’s family commissioned Cecil Alexander, architect of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium and many other iconic local buildings, to create a home inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright’s work on 5 acres. That eccentric, throwback-modern structure still stands today, surrounded by a swimming pool, a tennis court, and so many trees.

As the decades unfurled and Bunnen’s photography career took off, the owners continued to buy contiguous land, eventually expanding to the roughly 30 acres offered today. A darkroom for developing photographs (Google it, kids) was installed in the main home’s base level in 1970, according to the listing.  

A couple of decades ago, a two-mile trail was installed around the property for soaking in nature, walking dogs, hiking, and yes, taking photos of it all.

Two houses are included in the offering today, totaling seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, and more than 7,000 square feet. Maybe that’ll be a moot point, should this ITP sanctuary be redeveloped. Or if it’s kept largely as-is, lending some well-heeled buyer the ultimate in intown privacy.

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