Cheek-Spruill House
Why it's listed
Standing at the corner of Chamblee-Dunwoody Road and Mount Vernon Highway, this two-story white clapboard farmhouse was built around 1907 for Bunyan B. Cheek, a member of the family that helped shape Dunwoody. It has a three-gable roof, two chimneys, and porches on both floors. Family accounts say it began as a one-story house, which was later raised so a new first floor could be built beneath it, a method also used on the Cheek family's own house across the street. Original stairs, doors, moldings and porch columns survive. The house is a rare Georgia example of the two-story gabled-ell type and one of the few two-story rural houses of its kind. It also faced the railroad that led to the village's founding in the 1880s, and it is the last historic house at the old center of Dunwoody. A preservation group rehabilitated it in 1999, and it now serves as a meeting hall and tea room.
Significance in brief: The house is argued to be a good and rare example of a gabled-ell farmhouse in Georgia, retaining its original doors, moldings, stairway and porches. It is also unusual because it was built as one story, then jacked up and a new first floor built beneath it. It is the only surviving historic house at the central crossroads where Dunwoody grew up around a railroad and two roads.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 00000639, listed June 9, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 5455 Chamblee-Dunwoody Rd., Dunwoody |
|---|---|
| County | DeKalb County |
| Listed | June 9, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000639 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1907-1950 |
| Architect / builder | unknown |
| Architectural style | OTHER/gabled-ell type farmhouse |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Community Planning and Development |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Rehabilitated in 1999 for reuse as a meeting hall, historical organization facility and tea room. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Coordinates | 33.94830, -84.33412 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 00000639.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134296424
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.