ALABAMA HISTORICAL COMMISSION
SEEKS SERIOUS PURCHASE/RESTORATION OFFERS
The Alabama Historical Commission is seeking serious
proposals from anyone wanting to purchase and
restore, Greenwood, an antebellum Greek Revival
mansion in Greensboro, Alabama.
ABOUT THE HOUSE
Located on one of Alabama’s
prettiest streets, in one of our prettiest Black
Belt towns, Greenwood is an 1856 Greek Revival
Mansion. The house was allowed to deteriorate after
fire damaged the upper floor.
With nearly 4000 square feet of
floor space (plus a large unfinished attic) and a
large two acre lot, it would make an elegant home
or Bed and Breakfast. A small early outbuilding is
on the property.
It is listed on the National
Register of Historic Places as part of Greensboro’s
Main Street Historic District. As such, it would be
eligible for federal rehabilitation tax credits if
refurbished for income-producing purposes.
The house will be sold with
protective easements held by the Alabama Historical
Commission and must be restored within a specified
time frame.
ABOUT THE PURCHASE PROCESS
There is no fixed price.
Rather, the Commission asks that serious
prospective buyers complete a
“Purchase/Restoration Proposal form" and submit
it to the AHC. The staff will evaluate the
applications and select the best restoration
proposal.
Among other things, the
proposal asks for a brief description of
rehabilitation plans and for information regarding
the applicant’s financial ability to move forward
with the project. Any serious monetary offer will
be entertained. Deadline
for submission of proposals is June 15, 2009.
For further information and/or
to make plans to inspect Greenwood, contact the
Historical Commission at 334-230-2670 or
334-230-2645.
MORE ABOUT THE HOUSE
Greenwood might be considered
two houses in one. When attorney Sydenham Moore
built the present handsome Greek Revival residence
in 1856, he incorporated materials and decorative
features from an even older dwelling -- the original
“Greenwood” from which the house takes its name.
This first Greenwood was the plantation home of
Governor Israel Pickens, built on the prairies south
of Greensboro.
Three handsome Federal-style
mantelpieces in the house today are elegant
reminders of that first Greenwood, home of an early
Alabama governor.
Moore was destined to enjoy his
new residence only a few years. As a Confederate
officer, he died from wounds received at the Battle
of Seven Pines in the summer of 1862.
Over the next 150 years,
Greenwood had a succession of owners. Then in 2003,
it suffered a disastrous fire, which destroyed the
rear wing as well as the roof. Vandals subsequently
removed the banister of the main stairway. In 2004
the Alabama Historical Commission acquired the house
and rebuilt the roof. Now Greenwood awaits someone
willing and able to reclaim it as one of west
Alabama’s outstanding landmark houses.
PICTURES
Greenwood- 1978
Greenwood Facade 2008
Greenwood Stair
Greenwood Parlor
Greenwood Rear of Property
Commission
