Elegant Event Facility with Historic Ambiance

In the early 1900's people usually visited the Houston Mill for two reasons: to buy ground corn meal produced by Washington Jackson Houston's grist mill or to attend the frequent social gatherings on the grounds. An entrepreneur, Major Houston converted the mill into Dekalb County's first hydroelectric plant in 1900.

Harry J. Carr, an Atlanta contractor who built Druid Hills High School, the old Dekalb County Courthouse and the Candler Building downtown, bought the land from Major Houston in the early 1920's and constructed his home, now known as Houston Mill House. Mr. Carr used fieldstone, poured concrete, and wrought iron for his three story, fourteen room home. He also built a magnificent stone fireplace in the house's great room.

In the 1960's Emory University purchased the house and the surrounding property from Mr. Carr's estate. In the mid 1970's the Emory Women's Club orchestrated the renovation of the house. By the fall of 1979 the renovations were completed and the house was open for business. Twenty-five years later the house is still known throughout Atlanta to be one of the most elegant event facilities in the city.