The Vision That Saved Senoia

Wednesday, 17 February 2010 20:26

Written by Administrator

For every creative endeavor, there’s a moment when the artist sees in his mind’s eye what doesn’t yet exist…but what could. That moment came just a few years ago to Paul Lombardi and Scott Tigchelaar after a meeting of the Senoia Downtown Development Authority.

The discussion turned to a proposal to sell a central parcel of land in the historic district for development into a dollar store. Scott and Paul firmly believed this possibility would set Senoia moving in a direction that would detract from the quaint look of the town. They immediately knew that something had to be done to preserve

the historic downtown, and they were inspired to do it. Paul, the CEO of Riverwood Studios in Senoia, and Scott, Riverwood’s President, began purchasing vacant property throughout Senoia in their efforts to preserve and restore the city. Both men have purchased historic homes in the charming little town which has architecture that dates back to the turn of the 18th-19th century.

With a sense of purpose, Scott and Paul purchased the Gin Property and have begun building brownstones, one of which has been selected to be the 2010 Southern Living Idea House, scheduled to open to the public in June of this year. In October 2009, Scott and Paul received an award from the State of Georgia Main Street Association for Outstanding New Construction/Infi ll. More recently, the local Atlanta Fox TV station ran a full five-minute interview with Paul and Scott about their successful renovation projects.

The Gin Property, as well as other buildings on Senoia’s Main Street, will not only be homes and businesses, but also will be used as backdrops for film and TV projects produced through Riverwood Studios. While the activity is heating up, it’s not a new thing for actors and film crews to be spotted in the area.