The Porchfest home profile project was produced by University of Georgia students in Lori Johnston’s journalism seminar on home and garden writing and Katie Marages’ vernacular architecture course. The students interviewed homeowners, researched the residences and neighborhoods, and captured photo and video of the homes. The residences featured will host bands during Historic Athens Porchfest on Oct. 20.

Matthew Hall and Erica Gilbertson bought this home on Hill Street for the price and premium location, but stayed for the yard and roominess it has offered their family for the past eight years. 

This house has 4,424 square feet, including five bedrooms, two offices and four-and-a-half bathrooms. A total of 84 windows bring in natural light to every corner.

“It feels like you’re in the trees, and then when the magnolias are blowing, it’s just like you look all around, just like you’re in a tree house,” Gilbertson said. 

The exterior captivates with its distinctive gray pebble dash stucco, a charming exterior wall style that originated in Scotland in the late 1800s.

The three-story residence was built in 1922 in the picturesque Cobbham neighborhood. The Colonial Revival-style home, which sits on 0.79 acres, was once owned by the Rowland family, a prominent family in Athens. Designed by Effie Hampton Rowland, it is fondly known as the “Hill Street House.”

The couple loves being a focal point in the community where they can host and bring people together.  This year, the home will host the band Little Mae for Historic Athens Porchfest, a music festival in Athens’ historic neighborhoods. 

Inside, the home has two foyers, which may be unexpected in Athens, but are found in many Midwestern homes to keep the cold air outside. The rich, dark hardwood floors harmonize with the door frames throughout, creating a seamless aesthetic.

The couple uses every bit of room to hold their treasures from over the years. The chandelier above the dining room table, featuring colorful glass spheres, was inspired by a trip to Turkey.

A traffic light hangs on the wall, adding a fun touch that Hall says was inspired by Matthew McConaughey’s book, “Greenlights.”

“It’s just such a great room,” Gilbertson said. “We wanted to like give it lots of like character, like have a showpiece.”

The newly renovated kitchen serves as the “family hub,” Gilbertson said, and provides ideal place for hosting gatherings, featuring an island that offers plenty of counter space. This space flows into the dining room.

When the couple feels worn out from the day teaching at the University of Georgia, they relax in the sunroom off the formal living room and dining room. Built-in bookshelves are in most rooms throughout the house, offering ample space for book lovers to display cherished collections. 

A cozy living space with exposed brick in the basement is equipped with a projector screen and games, offering a versatile space for relaxation. The other side of the basement serves as storage and a handyman workshop.

The wide staircase — a fun place for prom pictures — leads to the upstairs bedrooms, including one that overlooks the tranquil backyard. A month before the coronavirus pandemic, they finished adding the half-circle concrete back patio to match the arched style of the front exterior windows.

“The landscape architect came over, and he drew up the plans … He had seen all the half-circles in the house,” Gilbertson said. “He’s like, what do you think of this? It really captures the essence of that element of your home.”

The patio opens up to an enclosed backyard where their dogs can roam freely. The backyard once featured a sports court, which has since been covered.

“Some of the locals that used to live here and know this house still come up and tell me they used to play tennis here in my backyard,” Gilbertson said.

Amanda Kinderman and Olivia Wilson are journalism majors at the University of Georgia.