Tour Stop Nine: 709 Cherokee Avenue
Chris, Thomas, and Noah Ryan-Lawrence
This home is referred to as a Free Classic Queen Anne with Craftsman Influence, meaning it was built during the period when Atlanta was slow to the full Craftsman style, and Queen Anne-Victorian homes were still being built.
Tourgoers won’t want to miss the “Big Table” in the dining room. Dating back to the early 1900s, the hand-carved piece was bought at an antique shop in Albany, Ga., and the couple actually spoke with someone from the family who first owned it.
The stained glass window in the family room was originally on the outside of the house, and it, along with the fireplaces, one mantle, and a few moldings and doors in the upstairs bathrooms, are the only original features of the house.
It was a triplex and fully rented when the couple bought it. Having just gone through a disappointing adoption experience, Thomas found the house online, and, with Chris having a background in multifamily housing, they decided they’d buy it as a rental and eventually renovate it when they had a family.
They closed on the house on Nov. 15, 2013, and received the first contact from their now son’s birth mother on Dec. 17 of that same year. Noah was born the next month. “Talk about, if you build it, they will come,” says Chris.
The house underwent a full renovation in 2015, but Chris and Thomas intentionally left some historical footprints, such as in the upstairs vestibule where you can see the original entry points to the two former bedrooms.
The family just added the pool this year and enjoy their living space outside nearly as much as their space inside the house.