One of Atlanta’s most richly historic but blighted Victorian mansions from Peachtree Street’s golden age is back on the market with a motivated seller. 

Built in 1901, the Rufus M. Rose House has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1977 and was designated an Atlanta Landmark Building more than 35 years ago. It’s been called Atlanta’s oldest mansion, and current marketing materials describe it as “one of the last surviving unrenovated Victorian mansions on Peachtree Street.” Its inimitable, red-brick beauty still shines through the graffiti, rust, and patchwork plywood windows. 

Big ideas for bringing the Rufus M. Rose House back to life in recent years have sputtered—but there’s reason to believe this time could be different, per its sales team. 

Glimpse into the mansion's central hall today. EXIT Realty West Midtown/Georgia MLS

EXIT Realty West Midtown/Georgia MLS

The current owner, Atlanta Landsight LLC, has poured more than $250,000 into replacing wood framing and other structural elements that have endured for more than 125 years. According to EXIT Realty West Midtown listing agent Felicia Moore, a former Atlanta City Council president, the vacant and largely gutted home at 537 Peachtree St. no longer fits in the owners’ real estate portfolio. 

The current asking price is $2.58 million. Priority will go to buyers who see themselves as stewards, according to Moore, and the mansion as a unique preservation opportunity for “one of Peachtree Street’s most extraordinary survivors.” That could include private families, organizations, or foundations, per Moore.

“The right buyer will see not only the beauty and significance of the Rufus M. Rose House,” said Moore in a listing announcement, “but also its potential to serve Atlanta again—as a place where people gather, celebrate, advance important causes, and build community.”

Dubbed the “Rose on Peachtree,” the property is an example of a late Victorian Queen Anne-style home—and the only Victorian left standing in Atlanta’s core district where downtown meets Midtown. 

Exteriors of the 125-year-old property at 537 Peachtree St. today. Rachel Tobin/TobinInk

The mansion and its Peachtree Street surroundings in 2021. Google Maps

Built in 1901 for the founder of Four Roses Distillery—prominent Atlanta physician, entrepreneur, distiller, and real estate investor Dr. Rufus Mathewson Rose—the five-bedroom, three-bathroom house was designed by Atlanta architect E.C. Seiz, who was credited with more than 1,000 structures around the post-war city. (Previous listings have put the square footage at north of 7,100.) Despite its high-profile location, the home has been vacant for more than 20 years, since the Atlanta Preservation Center moved out. 

About a decade ago, plans emerged for converting the mansion into an arts space and entrepreneurial hub, but that fizzled.

Inman Park Properties bought the mansion in 2019 for its full asking price of $1 million and later announced renovation plans that would have included a restaurant. That never materialized.

In 2021, current owners purchased the property for $1.65 million, held a ribbon-cutting for its groundbreaking with former Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed, and began work to repair and reinforce the structure in hopes of creating an upscale office building. 

Plans pivoted again in late 2024, when Texas-based investment firm Vaycaychella partnered with the owners to create the “most sought-after Airbnb” in Atlanta prior to 2026 FIFA World Cup festivities. As current photos illustrate, that idea didn’t pan out, either. 

Features around the property include original windows, moldings, woodwork, fireplaces, and other hand-carved interior details. 

EXIT Realty West Midtown/Georgia MLS

Beginning in 1945, the house functioned as J.H. Elliot’s Antiques and the Atlanta Museum, “an eclectic public collection that included objects associated with author Margaret Mitchell, golfer Bobby Jones, and other notable Atlanta figures,” per sellers.EXIT Realty West Midtown/Georgia MLS

The property’s status on the National Register could help it qualify for state and federal historic rehabilitation credits, according to Moore. 

In terms of location, listings point to nearby attractions such as the Fox Theatre, Shakespeare Tavern Playhouse, Bank of America Plaza, Emory University Hospital Midtown, and just maybe in the future, the highway-capping Stitch project, which is aiming for shovel-ready status this summer. 

“In 10 years, as Midtown and downtown Atlanta complete their evolution and the Stitch knits this area back together,” added Moore, “many people will regret not taking the opportunity to buy this historic piece of Atlanta now.” 

Find more context and photos of the historic property in its current state (with floorplans) in the gallery above. 

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