Callaway Gardens (1956-2002)

Batson-Cook has enjoyed a 46-year relationship with Callaway Gardens, working on some of the resort’s most significant attractions and facilities. 

Callaway Gardens Motel (1956)

Final Contract Cost: $284,000
Current Value: $2,631,000

  • A 50-room motel that, at the time it was built, was the largest motel on U.S. Highway 27 between Hamilton, GA and Chattanooga, TN. Now known as Mountain Creek Inn, it has undergone several renovations and additions since its construction in 1956.

John A. Sibley Horticulture Center (1982) 

Final Contract Cost: $2,950,545
Current Value: $7,228,835
Architect: Craig Gaulden Davis, Inc. | Greenville, SC

  • A single-story, 28,000-square-foot conservatory designed to showcase an energy-efficient blending of both indoors and outdoors. Folding walls can be opened during warm weather and closed during extreme cold to protect vegetation. 
  • Located on five acres and built with private donations, the construction of the conservatory included 300 tons of Tennessee fieldstone, more than 7,000 glass blocks and 26 folding doors  ̶ each 24 feet tall and weighing 1,600 pounds. There is also a 22-foot waterfall with pond in the center.
  • The conservatory acted as a giant cold frame with supplemental heating provided by a special, radiant system and cooling provided through shade, ventilation, a mist system, and waterfall. The original plantings featured azaleas, ferns, and camellias mixed with tropical plants.
  • This attraction was closed in 2015.

Cecil B. Day Butterfly Center (1988) 

Final Contract Cost: $2,979,700
Current Value: $6,614,934
Architect: Jova Daniels Busby, Inc. | Atlanta, GA

  • This is North America’s largest glass-enclosed tropical conservatory and houses more than 2,000 butterflies. The 7,300-square-foot conservatory is a glass structure constructed on a steel frame with “truss-type” columns and beams that reach over 40 feet at the highest point. The interior of the greenhouse has concrete paver walks circling a 12-foot-tall water feature made of pipe sections.
  • The lobby and gift shop were constructed adjacent to the conservatory. The exterior walls consist of split face block on metal studs. A 100-year-old cupola from Mrs. Callaway's childhood home sits on top of this structure.  

Callaway Mansion Historic Renovations (1997) 

Final Contract Cost: $669,730
Current Value: $1,151,936

  • This project was the complete renovation of a two-story mansion built in 1916. This project included paint, replacement of all wood trim, repointing of masonry joints and replacement of damaged limestone, complete restoration of the terra cotta roof, and replacement of all concealed gutters.

Azalea Bowl (1998) 

Final Contract Cost: $2,398,023
Current Value: $4,076,639
Architect: Thomas Wirth Associates | Sherborn, MA

  • This outdoor garden is approximately seven acres of landscaped ornamental space that includes a wooden pavilion, a gazebo, 5,000 feet of paved pathways, and a 100-foot-long pedestrian bridge. 
  • The scope included a 620-foot-long artificial mountain stream and a waterfall wwhich were created using a dam between an existing lake and a lake created as part of this project scope. 
  • There were approximately 120 varieties of trees and shrubs totaling 2,000 plants and 4,200 azalea plants in 250 varieties.

Mountain Creek Villas (2002) 

Final Contract Cost: $2,101,305
Current Value: $3,362,088
Architect: THW Design | Atlanta, GA

  • These eight, 2,200-square-foot cottage homes totaling 17,600 square feet were constructed as slab-on-grade, wood-framed structures. The exterior is cement siding (HardiePlank) and asphalt shingles.  
  • Also included in this project were grading and paving of a new road and utility extensions for the villas.  

The Southern Pine Conference Center (2002) 

Final Contract Cost: $8,700,248
Current Value: $13,920,397
Architect: Rabun Hogan Ota Rasche Architects | Atlanta, GA

  • A 53,000-square-foot conference center for Callaway Gardens. The facility has two ballrooms: a 7,000-square-foot main ballroom designed to accommodate 500 people, and a 4,000-square-foot junior ballroom. 
  • The exterior included stucco with in-laid wood, masonry stonework at the base of columns for two chimneys, and a unitized curtainwall system. One of its outstanding architectural features was an orchard stone entrance leading from the porte-cochère into the ballroom.
  • The building was designed to appear as if it has been set down in a wooded area. Roads and parking areas were laid out to fit around the existing trees.    

Owner: Callaway Gardens | Pine Mountain, GA
Final Contract Costs: $20,083,551
Current Value: $38,985,829
 

Location:
Pine Mountain, GA