Johnny Day enjoys an HO Gauge model railroad that was built by his father in a separate back yard Train House.
By Elliott Brack
Editor and Publisher, GwinnettForum
MARCH 26, 2021 | A 1917 Norcross bungalow got a new owner nearly 100 years after it was built, and has been beautifully remodeled by Johnny Day. This Thrasher Street house was built by William McElroy, who ran a coal business in the area. He is an ancestor of S.T. McElroy, who ran a lumber company in Norcross.
Now this house has been handsomely refurbished by Day, 72, a retired school teacher and counselor who was in the Forsyth County school system until he retired. He and his late wife, Teresa (Adams), bought the house in 2015, just months before she died from cancer.
The sun room was already glassed but was not heated or cooled. It provides a delightful sitting and reading area.
Day says: “Teresa was a creative person and saw the potential in the house. She realized she was not going to pull through, but she wanted me to restore it and as she said ‘….Make it as beautiful as you can.’ I began the restoration in early 2016. It took nearly a year. I moved in in early 2017 when I sold my house in St. Ives. It’s so much a pleasure to sit on the front porch and watch the people go by and remember what Teresa saw in this house.”
This is the Music Room, including a workable jukebox, record player and even a family violin, turntable for LP records, and a collectable 1905 Edison cylinder player, which works. A roll-top desk is used for the office setting.
The couple met at the University of Georgia, when they became badminton partners in a freshman PE class. She was from Decatur. They were married in 1971, and both were teachers in the Forsyth County school system. When babies arrived, she became a stay-at-home mother. Day has two sons, Adam living in Auburn, Indiana, while Matthew lives in East Atlanta. There are six grandchildren.
From the dining room, you can access the second floor bedroom and bath and closet space. This is a new feature of the house.
When originally living at Sturbridge Square in what would become Peachtree Corners, they became friends with another couple, Kendell and Gary Collier. Day remembers: “Soon Teresa and Kendell were trying to outdo each other in throwing dinner parties.”
The bright living room features a gas log fireplace and original cabinets, with a comfortable sitting area.
On a trip together to Savannah, they realized that both couples enjoyed parties so much, so why not do it for a living? In 1987 Teresa and Kendell began an events company, originally called Magic Moments.
There’s an old-fashioned pantry between the kitchen and dining room.
This company bought at auction on the courthouse steps the Flint Hill mansion, once owned by S.L. McElroy, on South Peachtree Street in Norcross, and began a catering business under the name “A Divine Event.” (Magic Moments is the corporate name, and A Divine Event is the catering branch.) In 1992, they added a 3,000 square foot ballroom to the Flint Hill property. Later they purchased a former bank building across Norcross-Tucker Road to hold functions, and then bought the Lively House, one of the oldest in the city, for their offices.
The back entrance features a new garage and brick pavers in a landscaped setting. A breezeway connects with the house. There is a storage area above the garage.
The two ladies thrived in this business, holding weddings and other events. Prior to Teresa Day dying, she sold the business to Kendall. Today this same company is thriving and has event facilities in Roswell (Primrose Cottage); in Lilburn (Little Gardens); in Lexington (Clover Leaf Farm) and in Newnan (Vinewood Stables). The company has 60 full time employees and 150 part timers.
Front view
Johnny Day is content in his remodeled home. “I really like the house the way it has been restored, the neighbors, the area, the ease of walking to downtown Norcross for the restaurants and shops and concerts. People walking by tell me how much they love what we’ve done to the house. And I even enjoy the trains coming by often, and I’m used to them now. Being here is great fun for me.”
No doubt William McElroy would be pleased with the restoration of his former home.
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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