The Genius of Leila Ross Wilburn: Houses and Words of Wisdom from Georgia's First Female Architect

There is nothing I like better and I don't believe I'd be satisfied with any other job in the world."

-Leila Ross Wilburn

I have a confession to make-- there are days when I'm puttering around in the kitchen making dinner and I think, what in the world am I going to blog about this week?  After an action-packed weekend, this week is a little slow. I think about my collection of still-unshared photos, websites I adore, but I want real inspiration.  Every once in a while, I get truly lucky and bam!  I find something I find fascinating that I think is worthy of sharing with you.  This is one of those times!

Leila Ross Wilburn is one of the first female architects of Atlanta (Registered Architect#29). She attended Agnes Scott College (my mother's alma mater!)  and, following some private instruction (she never received formal training),  joined Benjamin R. Padgett and Son as a trainee.  She started her own firm in 1909.  Lila Ross Wilburn designed both single family homes and apartments and published numerous pattern books, which can be seen here, courtesy of Agnes Scott College Archives and the Library of Congress.  Perhaps her best-known work is in Decatur's MAK Historic District (examples shown below).  

Admittedly, this topic has been done before- which I discovered while researching her.  I'm not going to attempt to re-create Terry's post- so for more pictures and a whole lot more information, visit the Architecture Tourist here.  What I'm most excited about is the collection of her quotes, interspersed throughout this post, in italics.

I happened upon Wilburn, while perusing one of my favorite my recent discoveries- the website Historic Homes for Sale.  I was researching a property I found for $49,000 (I know!!!) and found the Collier-Palmer House.

photos via web listing

R.C. Collier commissioned Leila Ross Wilburn to design the home in the early 1950s for his son and young family.

Houses are built to live in as well as to look at

Another great property on the market is in Druid Hills, on North Decatur Rd.

photos via real estate listing

Well designed plans make a well-built house worth its cost

And the last one I'll feature for sale is in the MAK Historic District, 413 Adams Street.

Maple is the best wood for kitchen floors

In addition to this great house, I wanted to share some quotes from Wilburn's plan books- pure genius- interspersed with some of the homes featured on MAK Historic District's website.

205 Adams Street

Convenience, cost and beauty should all influence your home selection

310 Adams Street

Get Architect's plans, few Contractors are also good Architects

416 Adams Street

A cheap "drop lot" is often most costly in the end

107 Kings Highway

The design, not the amount of material, draws forth favorable comment

351 McDonough

Don't let over-confidence in your own ability spoil your home

237 Kings Highway

Shrubbery properly placed makes the new home vastly more attractive

Piedmont Park Apartments via City of Atlanta

Plans save time, and time saved means money saved