The University System of Georgia will soon sell the President’s House in Athens, Georgia, with proceeds to be used to support student success initiatives.
The home, which is located at 570 Prince Avenue, has served as the official residence of the President of the University of Georgia since 1949, when it was purchased by the University System of Georgia (USG) with funds donated to UGA for that purpose. Over the past 70 plus years, seven presidents have lived there.
However, with its 9,000 square feet of reception and living space and approximately five acres of grounds, the property has become increasingly costly and challenging to maintain. Aging mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems are not able to meet the needs of a facility that serves as both a personal residence as well as a space to display valuable works of art and host large-scale events. Earlier this year, the University received an estimate of nearly $2 million to replace the HVAC system, upgrade the electrical service and address other major maintenance needs.
UGA has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in recent years on maintenance and support of the aging facility, while its use for hosting large-scale events has become more limited. The realignment of traffic on Prince Avenue last year eliminated the ability of shuttle buses to park in front of the home to enable such gatherings.
The University System of Georgia has divested itself of other executive residences, selling the USG Chancellor’s residence in Atlanta in 2006, and selling the homes of the Georgia State University and Augusta University presidents in 1995 and 2018, respectively. The only other presidential home in the USG—on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology—is unoccupied at this time.
The University of Georgia plans to dedicate any and all proceeds from the sale of the property to support student success initiatives at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. In addition, UGA will redirect all savings realized by no longer having to operate, maintain and provide security for the residence to ongoing efforts to enhance campus safety and security.
