Governor of Brian P. Kemp Office of the Governor

History The Governor's Mansion, a three-floor, 30-room, Greek Revival style home built in 1967, stands on approximately 18 acres in northeast Atlanta. It was designed by Georgia architect A. Thomas Bradbury and officially opened on January 1, 1968. Lester Maddox was the first governor to live there, followed by Jimmy Carter, George Busbee, Joe Frank Harris, Zell Miller, Roy Barnes, Sonny Perdue, Nathan Deal, and Brian Kemp. The house covers 24,000 square feet and has a total of 30 Doric columns around the porches. These columns are made from California redwoods and are each 24 feet high. They are hollowed out and specially treated on the inside to handle water drainage from the roof. The first floor and ballroom are used for official business and entertaining. The Georgia Governor's Mansion has one of the finest Federal period collections of art and furnishings in the United States. These furnishings were acquired by a 70-member fine arts committee while the Mansion was being constructed from 1960-1967. It is a permanent collection and belongs to the state of Georgia. It does not change from one administration to the next. The first Executive Mansion (1838-1868) was located in Milledgeville and is still open for public tours. The state capital was moved from Milledgeville to Atlanta in 1868. Two years later, the state purchased the John James residence at the corner of Peachtree Street and Andrew Young Boulevard for the Governor's residence. Seventeen governors occupied this large Victorian home until it was demolished in 1923. The Westin Peachtree Plaza is now located at the site. In 1925, the state acquired a large granite home from the estate of Edwin Ansley, located at The Prado in Ansley Park (Midtown Atlanta). That home housed 11 governors before it was vacated and demolished in 1968.