August 4, 2008, SCAD announces grand opening of rehabilitated Ivy Hall Oct. 3
The Savannah College of Art and Design announced the grand opening of Ivy Hall Oct. 3. After nearly two years of rehabilitation, planning and construction, the historic Midtown mansion at 179 Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E. will reopen as a cultural arts and writing center.

Rehabilitation of Ivy Hall began in April 2007, when the donation of the historic Edward C. Peters House from William Swearingen of S.D.H. Investment Corp. Inc., William Dunaway and Harry Hill became finalized.

The Peters House, called Ivy Hall by the Peters family, was designed by noted architect Gottfrid L. Norrman in 1883. After Swearingen and Dunaway purchased the building, it was converted into The Mansion restaurant in 1973. After a debilitating upper-level fire in 2000, it remained vacant and unused until it was donated to SCAD.

Under the leadership of SCAD historic preservation specialist Bob Dickensheets, SCAD's adaptive rehabilitation of the home as a cultural arts and writing center for the college and the community has taken shape.

"This project was different than previous SCAD rehabilitation projects in that we are restoring not only a residence, but, in a way, the memory of one of Atlanta's earliest and most industrious families," Dickensheets said. "Ivy Hall will provide a very stimulating environment for learning. The residence will prove an excellent space for student and faculty interaction and an ideal setting for visiting authors and artists to share their professional experiences."

April 9, 2007, “Memorializing The Mansion”
In the all too brief interlude between the final agreement and work getting underway at the Edward C. Peters House, I thought this would be a good time to talk to the people in Atlanta that grew up with the Peters House as The Mansion restaurant. Now that restoration work is about to start, I would like to see if it’s possible to capture some of those memories. If you have interesting memories you would like to share of a significant day or event that took place at The Mansion, photos or even video, please e-mail them to me at the address below. If you need to send it by mail, please see the street address below as well. We’re looking forward to getting started on the restoration, and, while we hope that you will join us in this process, we don’t want to forget what the place has meant to a generation of people in Atlanta.
Please send your thoughts, photos and memories to: petershouse@artofrestoration.org Or mail them to: The Art of Restoration, c/o SCAD-Atlanta,1600 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta, GA 30309. I look forward to hearing from you!