Foxhall is a significant cottage in Albemarle Park, built in 1913 for E. Y. Fordtran, publisher of the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper. The architect was J. Neel Reid, a prominent Atlanta architect.
In the 1960s, the house suffered a fire that caused significant interior damage. It was when this damage was repaired that the original stucco exterior was covered by brick veneer and cement-asbestos shingles. At that time a brick patio was built over what were, as noted on J. Neel Reid’s drawings, two window wells that provided light to three basement windows.
Over time both water damage and termite infestation along the rear patio and what is now the existing family room caused significant deterioration.
The current owners wished to remove the out-of-character patio and extend the family room out over its footprint. They also wished to return the exterior of the house to the original stucco design and restore many of the original details such as the front entrance, shutters and rear awning to the character presented in Reid’s original documents.
The family room extension incorporates an arched doorway with sidelights, bracketing and exposed rafter tails that draws on Reid’s original design. These open out onto a new patio, whose rough stone retaining wall mimics the low stone wall that borders the property along the road below.
Inappropriate windows at the northeast corner of the second floor were replaced with windows compatible to the original windows of the house.
The exterior stucco and wood shingled dormers were repaired and/or replaced as required and the entire house was re-roofed and painted in earth toned colors appropriate to the district’s naturalized setting.
In addition, the small carriage house, Fox Den was restored back to its original exterior design. The most notable change being the removal of an added second floor door in an original window opening, deck and exterior stair and the reinstallation of a window on the west side.
Mathews Architecture
