889 Hill Street

Historical Research and Compilation by Meghan Mundy

Photos by Matt Brewster, Marigold Solutions

House Instructions:

No restrooms available.

House History:

The oldest house in Athens may form the core of this structure—although it was not adjacent to the earliest parts of the city, a building originally on this site was listed in the last will of Marcoe Phinizy in 1816. Near the intersection of Hill Street with The Plaza, at 889 Hill Street is a house which incorporates an earlier structure believed to have been built by Ferdinand Phinizy. 

Ferdinand Phinizy was among Georgia's leading businessmen in the 19th century, who resided on a large estate in Cobbham. He owned a cotton business, F. Phinizy and Company, and served on the boards of directors of many corporations including the Georgia Railroad and Banking Company and Southern Mutual Insurance Company. A civic leader and trustee of the University of Georgia, he was probably the wealthiest man in the state at his death in 1889 (Cobbham National Register Nomination Form).

An 1869 local newspaper reported a house fire on the Phinizy farm land, the gates of which once stood at Milledge Avenue. The damaged farmhouse was modernized after

the blaze, and the new facade was “gussied up” with Victorian octagons that boasted Greek Revival and Italianate features. The Phinizy farm extended behind the house for many acres, the land encompassing the later circus grounds and Lynwood Park. This long scenic area, with a rocky stream tumbling through its middle to the valley beyond, was developed into Plaza Street after World War II.

Subsequent to the Phinizys, occupants and owners include Athenians J.A. Fowler; Lampkin and Orr (a partnership); Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Moss, parents of the world-renowned immunologist Dr.William Lorenzo Moss, who rented the house from 1859 to 1863 before purchasing Moss Side on Cobb Street;

According to the 1909 Athens City directory, Lydia Drane, who was a cook, resided at 889 Hill. The next appearance of 889 Hill on the Athens City directory would be 1920 in which it listed the owner as Leon (Lottie), Fathers whose occupation was a “tinner” which was used to describe a person who made and repaired things made of tin or other light metals.

889 Hill was also inhabited by Augustus Wylie Dozier; Mr. and Mrs. Leonidas M. Leathers (from 1922 until 1949); and prominent Austrian archaeologist and University of Georgia professor Dr. Clemens deBaillou. The house eventually was converted into five apartments, and was neglected from the 1970s until 1999. This splendid dwelling was fully restored in 2003 by Milton Leathers, Margie Spalding, and Lee Epting to single-family use, complete with some of the most handsome architectural details in Cobbham. Later additions have obscured much of the original dwelling, but it appears to have been a one-story frame Greek Revival house with two octagonal wings embellished with pilasters displaying an anthemion motif (Cobbham National Register Nomination Form). 

Current owners of the home Clare Norins and Jason Cade, two law professors at the University of Georgia, purchased the home in late 2023. 

Renovations: 

To address the fire at 889 Hill mentioned above, Milton Leathers described what he noticed in the attic when renovating the home far after the original Leathers purchased the home. “Lee and I thought back about how we dealt with that blackened framing wood in the attic of 889 Hill Street -- when we first encountered it. I remember that Mr. A. B. Griffith, from whom I purchased the house, told me that there had been a fire there in the 1800s. That's all he knew.

Except, he said, a contractor friend of his had once told him that there was absolutely no problem with all that framing in the attic. I think I was the first one (of the three new owners) to climb up into that huge space. When I saw that wood up close, I was very concerned. I called my very capable and plain-spoken roofer, David Phillips, who went up to see it. David’s comment was that those huge early-19th-century heart pine beams and framing materials were so much more massive and substantial than modern building materials that -- even with the charred wood trimmed away -- the construction under the roof was sturdier than any modern codes would require.”

“Since we were so significantly restoring the house (much more than just cosmetically), the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department and building inspectors forced us to bring everything -- wiring, plumbing, fireplaces, sewer connection and, I think, even land grading for water run-off -- up to code. The house was inspected several times during the rehabilitation. I remember seeing the Athens-Clarke inspector in the attic. He noted no deficiencies.”

“The original (pre-1816) plan of the house is lost, but after the 1870s fire, the owners wanted something “high style.” They must have copied those octagons from the T. R. R. Cobb house at Prince and Pulaski (now on Hill Street).” After the fire, the renovated home followed the Greek Revival style. 

Why it sits perpendicular to Hill Street is debated – end of original drive from Milledge or rerouting of Hill Street to join The Plaza?

Personal stories:

Milton Leathers: I drive by 889 Hill Street, I’m sorry we sold it. It is a one-of-a-kind; The best deal would have been for my family to have just hung on to the house that Leonidas M. Leathers bought for $2,200 in 1920! Oh, well. This is one more example of the truth of my father’s oft-repeated line, “Hindsight shows you what a mistake looks like -- from the rear.”