725 Cobb Stret
Historical Research and Compilation by Sarah Brown
Photos by Matt Brewster, Marigold Solutions
House Instructions:
Exclusive access to VIP Ticketholders only from 3:30 PM - 5:30 PM.
House History:
Emmet Jopling Bondurant finished constructing the remarkable colonial revival-style home in 1905, making it 119 years old! The National Register of Historic Places officially recognized the home on August 24th, 1978. Occupying a block-long lot, the home is a rarity, complete with double parlors and a large porch boasting ionic columns. Most homes of this style are described as symmetrical and the central entranceway is decorated with pediments supported by columns. Fanlights and sidelights, classical cornices with dentils, and rooves may be hipped with dormers are also common for colonial revivals. The home is two stories tall with white, beveled wooden siding, and can be classified as a central hall plan. The entrance has federal revival-style wooden double doors with door-light windows and a segmental-arched opening with elliptical fanlights and plain trim framing. There are three original brick chimneys with one in the interior of the home and the other two on the exterior left and right sides.
E. J. Bondurant was born in 1866 to John Parnell and Mary Elizabeth Jopling Bondurant. The Bondurants can be traced to some of Virginia’s earliest settlers. EJ was part of the University of Georgia graduating class of 1888 and played on the baseball team during his studies. In 1892, EJ married Martha Strong Moss and they went on to have 5 children together by the names of Rufus, Elizabeth, Mary, John Parnell II, and Berite “Birdie.”
The Bondurant family was well-known in the Athens community, with their home’s backyard serving as the venue for the Classic City Tennis Club for almost 75 years. EJ played a key role in his church, acting as a trustee, steward, and superintendent at the First Methodist Church Sunday School. He also held several leadership positions, including president of Bondurant Hardware Company, board member of the State Normal School, and managing partner and partial owner of Georgia Plow and Foundry Company. Being in charge of Bondurant and Company, which was once considered one of the largest firms dealing in stoves and tinware in Northeast Georgia, he was considered a pretty big deal! Birdie Bondurant was a counselor at the University of Georgia according to the 1978 report of the National Register of Historic Places.
A deed from 1912 established that John A. Fowler granted the lot to Martha Moss Bondurant, who passed it down to little Birdie upon her death. Birdie Bondurant Clower lived in the home until her death in 2000. The next in line for the Bondurant House was Mary Moss Bondurant Warren and she later sold the house to John and Leslie Dorris within the same year. John and Leslie owned the home until 2011 when they sold the property to the current owner, Judson Doherty along with his wife, Sarah, and son Judson Jr.
Throughout the 20th century, some of the rooms of the home were leased or rented. For example, Miss Nannie Fletcher was a student staying in the home according to the 1909 Athens City directory. An early floor plan of the home shows two kitchens on the main floor, one being part of a one-bedroom apartment. Due to the lack of original blueprints, it is unclear as to whether the apartment was part of the original construction or a subsequent renovation. Emma Hamilton was a cook at the Bondurant home according to the same 1909 directory.
Over its 119 years, this remarkable colonial revival-style home has witnessed the lives of multiple generations, from the early days of EJ Bondurant to the stewardship of his descendants and the families after them. It remains a cherished landmark, preserving the memory of the Bondurant family and the rich history of the community they helped shape. The architectural beauty, with its intricate details and classic design, continues to tell the story of a time when craftsmanship and elegance were paramount.
Renovations:
John and Leslie Dorris made the majority of the renovations in the home with the help of architect Ben Dooley and contractor Joe Ringwood in the early 2000s. The renovations were as follows:
Updated kitchen and bathroom on the first floor
Added screened-in porch and treated wood deck on the rear elevation–20 feet long and 10 feet deep– with a right rear dormer widened for double French doors, sidelights, and a wooden balcony
Added a box-bay projection in the rear of the home
Finished the attic space on the second floor with bedrooms and a laundry room
Due to the house sinking, there were extensive repairs of the foundation
Columns, the front porch, siding, and windows were either restored or replaced as needed
Pocket doors, molding, trim, the staircase, and flooring were restored
Metal flue was added on the right side of the central rear dormer
The tennis courts were removed from the backyard
A wooden frame single-car garage was demolished (formerly located along the interior of the western lot line)
Added an asphalt driveway extending from Cobb St. along Hillcrest
Added 2 parking spaces
Added brick sidewalk
Added brick columns on the perimeter and iron panel fencing
Installation of brick paver walk of existing concrete walk
Removal of box gutters, replaced with half-round gutters
The Doherty’s made the following renovations with the help of Ben Dooley:
Addition of 3-car garage with a guest house attached (including a kitchenette and half-bath on the lower adjacent and a bedroom/studio with a full bath above the garage.)
Relocation of the original outbuilding and repurposed as a storage area
Addition of a pool surrounded by hardscaping
Personal Stories:
The Doherty’s love the Cobbham neighborhood and are happy to live in the historic Bondurant home. They were drawn by the architecture and grounds of the property and were happy to find that it was mostly finished. Given the size and age of the property, upkeep is expensive and a continual project.
Jud served on the Preservation Commission for Historic Athens for three years and the couple has hosted a tour of their home and grounds for the Historic Athens Holiday Gala twice before. Sarah Doherty said that their “house [and] corner ha[ve] served as a central location for the Cobbham Summer Fests.”