The Glen, as it was from its 1835 construction through much of the rest of the 19th century. The back entrance to The Glen, from the garden and terraced woods behind the house. They spent decades living and working all over the world, but when the time came Ed and Davie Kirkley chose to make Pendleton their home.Husband and wife since 1962, Ed and Davie lived in locales as varied as British Columbia, South Africa and Denver while Ed worked as an engineer on large construction projects for Greenville-based Daniel, which became Fluor Daniel in 1977 after a takeover and is now known simply as Fluor.Ed’s retirement was imminent by the late 1990s and the Kirkleys couldn’t agree on where to spend their golden years. They looked in the Upstate — their daughters and grandchildren live in Greenville, and Ed is a native of Central and Davie hails originally from Spartanburg.Ed wanted land, and Davie wanted an old house to fix up. They looked at several properties, but couldn’t find the one that suited them both.

They found their dream compromise in Pendleton in 1998 in The Glen, a circa 1835 house on over 8 acres on MiCasa Drive. It was love at first sight.“I thought, ‘Oh, he have his land and I can have my house!’,” said Davie.“Makeshift Lighting Indoor PhotographyWe walked out of this house and Davie said, “Ed, this house speaks to me,” Ed said.Washer Dryer For Sale Wilson NcThe close proximity to Clemson helped their decision, too. Buy Bengal Cat Dallas TxEd is a graduate and son of a former professor, and Davie was fine with it.“I’m a USC graduate, but I converted to Clemson about 25 years ago,” Davie said. “My girlfriends from college and I still get together and they have forgiven me.”The Glen was built by Dr. Arthur Gibbs of Buford as a summer retreat for his family.

Over the next century and a half, it had several different owners, including a Pickens, a Pruitt and a Clemson architecture professor who was part of Harlan McClure’s reclamation of Pendleton in the 1950s and 1960s.“It was a two-over-two originally, with a central fireplace and a wraparound porch,” said Davie. “The house had had a lot of renovations to it.”The staircase has been moved at least once, several interior walls have went up to add an interior kitchen, den and other rooms, the back porch was enclosed for sleeping and much of the original heart pine flooring was replaced over the years.Davie spent the first year fixing up The Glen while Ed finished up the last of his 45 years with Fluor Daniel. She drew from all over to get their new home just right. The dining room was outfitted with purchases from an estate sale when they lived in South Africa. Heart pine was taken from an old mill in Spartanburg to replace the carpeting that replaced the original heart pine flooring.

What remained of the 165-year-old wallpaper was removed, a new back porch and access to the garden and woods out back was added, chair railing was replaced, the upstairs bathroom was redone, central heat and air conditioning installed and a lot more.Once Davie got The Glen into order, the couple turned their sights to becoming good citizens in their new home.Davie has given much of the last 15 years to just about every good cause around town — the historic foundation, garden club, Pendleton UMC, interfaith services around Easter and Christmas, organizing group trips to Pendleton’s sister city Stornoway, Scotland; however, her biggest splash has been the 20,000 daffodils she and others managed to get planted around town this year as part of Pendleton’s 225 and Alive birthday celebration.Davie has also helped Joan Kelley, Nancy Hellums and others with their efforts to add the memorial and Trotter’s Trail to Veterans Park.Downtown Macon is alive again with energy not felt since passengers regularly boarded trains in Terminal Station. 

What had once been the domain of quiet offices and abandoned retail space now possesses a new vitality. People are drawn to live in downtown for a variety of reasons.  For many, it is the open and welcoming community that the downtown neighborhood provides, or the ability to walk to numerous restaurants, coffee shops, music venues, theaters or the park.  But one undeniable reason people move to downtown Macon is the allure of her architecture. Piedmont Construction Group has helped connect new downtown residents to Macon’s historic buildings by restoring, renovating and converting many of these buildings into loft apartments. Being careful to preserve the oversized windows, brickwork, and original heartwood flooring, Piedmont has modernized these buildings while maintaining their architectural and historic integrity. The Lamar is one of the buildings that tell a compelling story about Macon.  Located along one of Macon’s original retail corridors, The Lamar housed numerous retail shops throughout her 150-year history.

As Piedmont restored and converted The Lamar into loft apartments, it took great care to preserve and maintain the character of the building that had stood vacant for nearly 40 years. The Lamar is composed of three Victorian-style buildings built from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries.  Piedmont restored the 50,500 square feet into 36 loft apartments, recycling a majority of the historic windows to maintain the building’s aesthetics.  Inside, the lofts paired historic heart-pine floors, exposed ceilings, and visible brickwork and restored plaster with high-end modern amenities. Today’s residents are surrounded by beauty from the moment they enter the door.  The lobby displays parts of the building’s historic elevator system, salvaged and repurposed as a unique art installation, and music artwork that pays homage to Macon’s deep musical roots. In addition to history and beauty, the modern amenities and services make The Lamar a popular home for a variety of residents.