Prominent Athens physician Edward R. Ware built this residence around 1850 in the once-fashionable neighborhood called Lickskillet. The property extended northward to the banks of the Oconee River and contained a large wooded tract to the west.
The Ware-Lyndon House, also known as the Lyndon House, is located at
293 Hoyt Street (Tax Parcel No. 16-3-D3-C-001).
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This two-story
brick dwelling with a four-over-four room, central hall plan represents
a blend of late Greek Revival and Italianate styles. Heavy entablatures
and pilasters frame the floor-length, first-floor windows, and a similarly
framed, trabeated doorway possesses sidelights and a transom. A full-width
porch of ornate cast iron grille work distinguishes the facade, and delicate
brackets under the eaves suggest an Italianate influence. A one-story rear
section appears to be original to the dwelling.
Prominent Athens physician Edward R. Ware built this residence around 1850 in the once-fashionable neighborhood called Lickskillet. The property extended northward to the banks of the Oconee River and contained a large wooded tract to the west. |
Much of the northern and western tract had been sold off for railroad right-of-way by the time Edward S. Lyndon bought the house in 1880. Dr. Lyndon, a successful druggist, also owned a millwork company on the western tract that eventually became the Athens Lumber Company. When the City of Athens acquired the Ware-Lyndon House for government offices in 1939, it was the first building other than City Hall owned by the city. During World War II the house served as the site of the local USO, and in the 1950s it came under the auspices of the newly formed Recreation Department. Following its restoration in the 1960s, the Ware-Lyndon House launched in l973 Athens's first government sponsored community arts program and subsequently broadened its mission of promoting the visual arts to include education, exhibitions, community based programs, and resource services. The Lyndon House Arts Foundation, Inc. was created to assist in the development, maintenance, and operation of the Lyndon House Art Center. In 1994 Athens voters approved a Special Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST), which included a provision for a significant addition to the Lyndon House Art Center.
The Ware-Lyndon House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (March 15, 1976) and has been locally designated as a Historic Landmark (February 2, 1988).