Villa Lamar
Also known as: Hollywood; Newcastle; Ruben Garland House
Why it's listed
Villa Lamar is a two-story, cream-colored stucco house with a red tile roof, built in 1911-1912 on a knoll along West Paces Ferry Road in Atlanta. Designed by Washington, D.C. architect George O. Totten, Jr. and built by Nicholas Ittner of Atlanta, it was commissioned by William Bailey Lamar, a former Florida attorney general and U.S. congressman, and his wife Ethel Toy Lamar. The house features a two-story Palladian entrance loggia, a two-story entrance hall with a balcony, large rooms planned for entertaining, terraces, pergolas, a solarium and a porte cochere. Its estate once covered about 200 acres, and a boxwood garden survives from the original landscape plan. The property was listed for its architecture. It is regarded as one of Georgia's finest Italian Renaissance buildings and the only known Georgia work of Totten, who was known for monumental houses and embassies in Washington. Later owners included the McDaniel and Marshall families.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is one of the finest examples of Italian Renaissance style in Georgia, shown in its marble, mosaic tile, tile roof, Palladian entrance loggia and massing. It is also the only known Georgia work of Washington, D.C. architect George O. Totten, Jr. The original landscape plan by Meehan and Sons of Philadelphia may have landscape significance, but this was not assessed.
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 88001152, listed June 8, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 801 West Paces Ferry Rd., Atlanta |
|---|---|
| County | Fulton County |
| Listed | June 8, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88001152 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1911-1912 |
| Architect / builder | Architect: George O. Totten, Jr. of Washington, D.C.; Builder: Nicholas Ittner of Atlanta, GA. |
| Architectural style | Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals / Italian Renaissance |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still used as a single dwelling; changes have been minimal and the house was undergoing restoration at the time of the nomination. |
| Acreage | 5 |
| Coordinates | 33.85036, -84.41291 (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 88001152.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q134341477
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.