Cheek-Spruill Farmhouse (circa 1906)

5455 Chamblee Dunwoody Road, Dunwoody, GA

Recognitions: Georgia Register of Historic Places (1999), National Register of Historic Places (1999)

Carefully restored today, the now-elegant house had humble beginnings. Originally built as a one-story home in 1906 by Mr. Joberry Cheek for his son, Bunyan Cheek (an engineer involved in the construction of the Morgan Falls power plant), the house sat on 2.5 acres of land that included a pasture, cornfield, barn, smokehouse and chicken house in the heart of Dunwoody. The house features six fireplaces and an additional story that was added later by literally raising the roof and building upstairs rooms between the roof and the ground floor.

Subsequent owners were the Crook family, followed by Mr. & Mrs. J.C. Church. In 1945, the home was purchased by Carey & Florence (Warnock) Spruill. Carey Spruill, eldest son of Mollie & Stephen Spruill, was an architect and planter and grew corn and other vegetables on the property, selling the goods at a nearby service station. Until the mid-1970s, Mr. Spruill could regularly be seen plowing his garden with his mule, Shorty. He passed away in 1983, but Mrs. Spruill remained in the home until her death in 1994, at which time their heirs decided to sell the property.

This two-story farmhouse in the “heart” of the city of Dunwoody is the reason the Dunwoody Preservation Trust exists. In 1994, rather than see it torn down, our founders rallied the community to save it and founded our organization in the process. Since then, it has become the symbol of Dunwoody, appearing on both the city seal and our own logo.

Shortly thereafter, our founders, Joyce Amacher and Lynne Byrd, with help from the Dunwoody Homeowners Association, began the now-famous campaign to “Save the Farmhouse.” They raised more than $200,000. Though it wasn’t enough to purchase the property from the Spruill heirs, Joyce and Lynne were determined to save the farmhouse and refused to give up. When Guardian Savings and Loan, of Houston, Texas, purchased the property in 1998, Joyce and Lynne persuaded the bank to donate the home and one-half acre of land to the DPT.

DPT soon began the process of restoring the home. When a bank and a CVS pharmacy were built around the property, the barn was demolished, but the smokehouse and chicken house were saved by being moved onto the donated half-acreage.

Today the Dunwoody Farmhouse, at the corner of heavily traveled Mt. Vernon and Chamblee Dunwoody roads, is the geographical and emotional heart of Dunwoody. It is the place where the entire community comes together for special events, including the 4th of July and “Light Up Dunwoody,” which kicks off the holiday season each November.

The property is financially self-sustaining thanks to rent from the resident law firm that has its offices there. The house also hosts a History Room, which is open to the public during normal business hours. Visitors can view information about the Farmhouse's history and enjoy a cup of tea.