Scott Leith forwards this note…

On Tuesday, March 24, the DeKalb History Center is hosting a lecture on Decatur’s MAK Historic District. Guest speaker Scott Leith will describe how this south Decatur neighborhood has stood at the intersection of many key events and transitional eras. The lecture will include a look at the late Leila Ross Wilburn, a groundbreaking architect and a longtime resident of MAK. The event will examine MAK’s connections to Agnes Scott College, from the benefits provided by the school to major challenges that, at times, threatened many homes in MAK. Finally, the lecture will look at the impact of desegregation, white flight and, in later years, gentrification and the creation of a historic district.

The March 24 event is free and starts at noon at the DeKalb History Center, inside the old DeKalb County Courthouse.

Chris (left) and Tim Russell in their living room on Adams Street in Decatur. (Photo Courtesy of AJC)

The AJC’s Annual Holiday Guide includes an extensive write up and photo tour of Leila Ross Wilburn homes featured on this year’s Decatur Tour of Homes. Having graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1902, Wilburn was a shining star of the Craftsman movement. As one of the only women to have her plan books published in the era, her designs not only exist in Decatur’s MAK Historic District, which borders her alma mater, but in countless unidentified homes throughout the southeast and the country.

Additional info and ticket info can be found on the Decatur Tour of Homes website, including this….

Five of [Lilburn's] plan books, along with enlarged mounted copies of the plans represented in MAK, will be available for public viewing at Agnes Scott College’s McCain Library during Decatur’s Tour of Homes, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., Dec. 7 and 8, 2007.

Also found this interesting…

MAK is very proud that Leila Ross Wilburn’s niece, Lib Kennedy, is the neighborhood’s oldest and longest-term resident. She lived in the neighborhood as a child during its development at the beginning of the 20th century and still resides on Adams Street.

UPDATE: InDecatur links to the MAK District website, which includes a list of all Leila Ross Wilburn Homes in the district.