New Athens State University President Dr. Robert Glenn wants to open the doors of his official residence, the ca. 1826 Beaty-Mason home, to the community.

School officials are embarking on a $1.7 million fundraising drive to return the home to its historical beginnings but at the same time, outfit it with the materials for lasting safety and beauty.

“Rick (Vice President for University Advancement Rick Mould) and I are working on a plan to raise money,” said Glenn. “We are confident the people of Athens and Limestone County will be generous. This house belongs to them. It is an asset to both the university and the community and when it is finished, it will be available to them.”

Plans call for renovating the downstairs into reception halls and outfitting the kitchen much like a commercial kitchen with catering facilities. The upstairs will be renovated to create the main residence for Glenn.

According to Jerry Bradford, director of the ASU physical plant, the house was designed by the same architect who designed Founders Hall on the ASU campus, Hyram Higgins.

The school has hired architect Cynthia Z. Coyle of the firm Architectural Works, which also performed renovation design work for the presidents’ homes of Auburn University and the University of Alabama, and the Joe Wheeler Home, Pond Springs, in Lawrence County.

Registered Interior Designer Deborah Belcher, who is on the faculty of Middle Tennessee State University, is acting as design consultant on the project.

“Cindy is fabulous,” said Belcher. “We are working very well together.”

Bradford said that for many years the gracious old home has had cosmetic touchups but when workmen removed furniture and stripped walls and floors, and inspected from the attic to the basement they found the home had suffered structural damage from time, water and termites. Over the decades several features had been added — such as a flat-topped carport — which were not in keeping with the historical nature of the home.

“The biggest cost we’re taking care of is the neglect and problems that have evolved,” said Bradford.

Architect Coyle has chosen the outside colors, which are being returned to the original soft muted neutrals that are much more subtle than the stark white in which the home has been painted in recent decades. That same color theme will be carried inside with slight variations.

“ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is also an issue,” said Bradford. “We are going to remove a curved back staircase and replace it with a chair lift. The restrooms are also too narrow and will have to be made handicapped accessible. We want the first floor to be accessible to the public.”

Bradford said the plan calls for using the most durable materials available in the renovation price range.

The formal gardens will be reworked to be an extension of the downstairs public areas for an extended reception area that could accommodate 200 to 300 guests.

Bradford said the furniture had been taken to Limestone Correctional Facility to be restored and refurbished.

“Of course, not all of the furniture dates to 1826, but the furnishings evolved much like the house over the years and much of it was donated,” said Bradford.

Bradford said a laboratory in Virginia is testing for moisture-proof mortar with which to stabilize the bricks. He said the walls are all brick and 16-to-18 inches thick. He said no concrete was used in the foundation, which must be fortified to correct the sagging of some walls and floors.

“It’s just so expensive to get it back to where it was,” said Bradford.

The original slave cabin in the side yard will be restored as materials and funding become available with the goal of possibly creating a guesthouse, he said.