Page 33 - DeKalb Bicentennial Flipbook

Avondale Estates was transformed from the town of
Ingleside, using Tudor architectural flourishes to evoke the
English city of Stratford-upon-Avon (left). City amenities
include beautiful Avondale Lake (right).

CITY OF AVONDALE ESTATES

FOUNDED 1924
Mayor Jonathan Elmore

An over-the-counter medicine tycoon, George Francis Willis and his wife, Lottie, visited Stratford-
upon-Avon, England in 1924. The journey inspired them so much that on their return to Georgia they
began to recreate the beauty of the birthplace of William Shakespeare in the Georgia experience.

he Willis’ bought the town of Ingleside and Since its start as the home to the first Waffle House and its
changed its name to Avondale Estates. The founders, the city embraces its main street entrepreneurship
Tudor-Revival style of architecture nods to mindset with more than 50 home-grown entrepreneurs and trail
T England as Avondale Estates began to come blazing businesses at street-level in downtown. USA Today once
into being. Houses have the distinctive steep roofs and use of lauded the city as a No. 1 Craft Beer City, and Avondale Estates
wood and stone in Tudor design. was named in Opendoor’s Top Family-Friendly Cities in 2022 for
After World War II, car culture cruised across the those seeking a small-town feel with nearby big city amenities.
nation. People were taking Sunday drives and vacations by Avondale Estates has earned its mark in Atlanta’s environs
car. Suburbs were developing more densely around Atlanta as a quaint planned community with recreational activities and
and the interstate highway system was cemented into place parks. This is its 38th year as a Tree City USA with beautiful
by the mid-1960s. It was the ideal time for Avondale Estates landscaping, parks, and gardens.
neighbors Joe Rogers, Sr. and Tom Forkner to open their Visit the Rail Arts District with upscale art studios and

first Waffle House in 1955 with a sign that advertised “Good galleries, theaters, performance spaces, and studios. This vibrant
Food Fast.” The Waffle House Museum occupies this first cultural center is in design to carve out an eco-arts greenspace
location of the Americana experience. for outdoor movies, yoga, and events.

Sp i rit o f D eK alb – B i centen n ial 1822-2022 31