One of the city’s only remaining unrenovated Victorian mansions on Peachtree is up for sale, and the owner is seeking a preservation-minded buyer with $2.58 million to spare.

Nestled among condos and high-rise buildings sits the “Rufus M. Rose House,” a Victorian home built in 1901 for local physician Dr. Rufus M. Rose. The red-brick mansion spans roughly 8,000 square feet, with interior woodwork, stained glass windows and several fireplaces.

It made the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and in 1989 the mansion was designated an Atlanta Landmark Building. The dual designations kept the Victorian mansion intact for decades as the city grew around it.

“That house is really a witness to Atlanta,” Atlanta Preservation Center Executive Director David Mitchell said.

But with over a century of presence on Peachtree Street comes significant wear and tear. On the outside, the Rufus M. Rose house looks dilapidated and overgrown. When the current owner bought it in 2021, he had to spend about half a million dollars just to stabilize the building.

“It was built in 1901, so we’re talking about something that was built 125 years ago, and it sat here not really reaching its full potential,” listing agent and former City Council President Felicia Moore said.

It still needs significant work to reach “full potential.” There is no electric work or HVAC system, and parts of the interior have been completely gutted. Still, the historic details remain: original windows, moldings and intricate woodwork on the walls and stairwells, original fireplaces, stained glass and a central hall.

“We just know that after stabilizing the property and everything, it has some very unique features,” Moore said.

As a civic leader, Moore knows Atlanta has a rocky relationship to historic preservation. But she thinks the Rufus M. Rose mansion “means a lot to the Atlanta community.”

It’s a hefty price tag, coming in at $2.58 million, and the buyer will need to put a lot of work into getting the place to a livable standard. Moore said the building will be eligible for income tax credits and historic preservation tax credits, and there’s potential for financing plans. The focus now is on finding the right steward.

“The historic value of it is what we’re really trying to make sure we attract,” Moore said. “To at least give an opportunity to someone who really appreciates that, particularly as it relates to the interior.”

While walking through the house, Moore listed off potential uses for the building: An event space, an airbnb, company headquarters or even a museum. But the ideal is someone who wants to live in the house and “bring it back to full life.”

“Maybe its best use is already there, and it’s just looking for the best person to wed to it,” Mitchell said.

There’s also financial appeal, according to Moore. The home is nearby downtown Atlanta’s major highway-capping project “The Stitch,” and near growing urban cores like Midtown and Downtown Atlanta.

“I believe whoever the smart buyer and renovator of this property is will see a big increase in property value in the next 10 years,” Moore said.

More photos of the property courtesy of Rachel Tobin and TobinInk are available below.

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