It’s the kind of piece that would add instant character to a new building.
A solitary stone chimney on the Ravinia property on Ashford-Dunwoody Road has been incorporated into the design of a Starbucks coffee shop proposed for the office complex.
But the proposal has sparked a debate over over the historical value of the chimney.
According to Hines, the developer of Ravinia, the chimney was built post World War II. But some long-time Dunwoody residents believe the chimney dates back to the late 1800s.
Tom Reilly, who moved to Dunwoody in 1953, said the chimney is the last of its kind in this area. He remembers seeing it when the area was mostly woods and farm land.
“It definitely is a verifiable historical artifact. It definitely is not a 20th century copy and I’m hoping it won’t end up a 21st century piece of patio furniture for a coffee shop,” Reilly said.
Reilly already has addressed Dunwoody City Council with his concerns. He plans to fight for the chimney again when the council takes a final vote Oct. 24 on the proposed Starbucks.
“I’m hoping for recognition of the authentic artifact that it is,” Reilly said. “I think every community deserves a past, a present, and a future.”
Doug van Veelen said he has memories of the chimney going back to 1968 when his family moved to Dunwoody. He said it is one of four that he remembers in the area, with three that used to be where Perimeter Mall now sits.
He said he remembers learning about the old chimneys in his seventh grade class at the old Dunwoody Elementary School.
Van Veelen said the chimney is an important link to Dunwoody’s rural past, a reminder that the land Ravinia occupies was once a farm owned by the Spruill family.
“Not that we should go back to it, but remembering it is important,” van Veelen said. “It should make us stop and think, all this area here was a cow pasture.”
Hines, the developer. received unanimous backing from the Dunwoody Planning Commission for the Starbuck’s on Sept. 13. The coffee shop is proposed on 4/5 of an acre on the northern portion of the Ravinia property on Ashford-Dunwoody Road. It is planned to be a 2,000-square-foot building with 27 parking spaces and a drive-through window.
Kathy Zickert, an attorney representing Hines, said many people in the area incorrectly believe that the chimney belonged to the Spruill’s farmhouse. “The chimney has no historic significance whatsoever,” Zickert said. “Ironically, we tried to have it declared an historical site when we were developing, but were not successful. … It would have been a branding mechanism for Ravinia. We would have been tickled pink to do that.”
Including the chimney in the design of the coffee shop is a way to save it, even though it is not historical, said Vikram Mehra, vice president of Hines.
“Hines saved this chimney back in 1981 when we purchased this property from the Spruills. As it was at risk due to the DOT expansion plans in its original location, by our own volition and at considerable cost and effort, we relocated it in 1984 and created a special place for it in its current location,” Mehra said. “We always intended to preserve it to let the community to enjoy it.”