Peachtree Street reopens after mansion move

ATLANTA, Ga. — Traffic is flowing again on Peachtree Street after crews shut down the busy road to move a historic Buckhead mansion to its new home in midtown.

Channel 2's Steve Gehlbach watched midnight Friday as trucks slowly drove the Randolph-Lucas House from Buckhead. Two men stepped in to save the mansion on the verge of being torn down to make room for a construction project.

The two sections of the 1920's-era house, which weigh about 200,000 pounds each and are 40 feet wide and 75 feet long, were loaded onto a dolly transport system for the southbound trip down Peachtree Street.

Crews said the moving process took a lot longer than expected, but they've finally relocated the mansion to Peachtree Street and Peachtree Circle Saturday just after 7 a.m.

Utility crews had to swing streetlights out of the way and raise power lines along the two-mile trek.

Owners Roger Smith and Christopher Jones said they had to preserve the significant piece of history.

"I cannot imagine this landmark being torn down," said Jones.

The owners got the house for free, but haven't added up the cost to move and renovate it.

"We really can't put a dollar figure on what a project like this means to Atlanta and historic preservation," Smith said.

The owners said it will take about six months to fix the home.

WSBTV