Maple Street Mansion

Built-in 1890 by L.C Mandeville, the Maple Street Mansion located at 401 Maple Street in Carrollton Georgia has been a staple to everyone who has encountered it. Mandeville built the Mansion right next to his family home after his wife Mary Ann Stewart Mandeville started to become homesick and missed her home in Vermont. L.C wanted to do whatever it took to make his wife happy so he had maple trees brought to Carrollton and had them planted throughout the entire street. This is how the street gained the name Maple Street. The mansion has three different areas in which they serve the purpose of a restaurant and event center. In the main house of the mansion, it features a train car bar and beautiful Victorian architecture. Altogether, the mansion is approximately 33,000 square feet and just added on another 10,000 square feet to a set of a retail strip that is on the property.

As time passed, the Mansion became many things including a banquet hall and several restaurants have housed there. Partners Tim Eubanks and Syd Short had divided the first floor of the Maple Street mansion into boutiques and the upper level was designated student housing during the sixties. Former owner Bob Uglum referred to it as a “Hippie Joint!” In 1973, another partner joined the duo and had all of the college students removed. Shortly after, the partners turned the first floor into a restaurant that proved to be extremely successful. In 1982 the restaurant closed and it wasn’t until two years later in 1984 that Bob Uglums family would purchase the building from the partners. Uglum’s family owned the mansion from 1984 to 2006. When asked what led for Uglum to take ownership of the mansion, he replied “I had been in the restaurant business, left and went back to college at West Georgia. The mansion was closed and for sale- it looked like an exciting opportunity!” During Uglums time as owner of the mansion, it turned into a restaurant and bar. They also expanded three different times in order to include facilities for large functions such as wedding receptions and even concerts. At the time it had the highest seating capacity of any establishment between Birmingham and Atlanta! Under Uglums ownership, the mansion also had a large menu Chicago style pizza. For years, the mansion was the only place you could get deep dish pizza within four counties so there was always a wait, however, the locals did not mind! For nearly forty years, the mansion was a place where college students could go and relax and enjoy a nice meal along with various forms of entertainment that had the building filled with people from corner to corner.

Several businesses have tried to prosper in the mansion, yet their time there is always short and unsuccessful. A Korean soul food place, chicken wing place, and family-style restaurant have all housed there. Yet, one after another, the mansion proves to be too much. The latest tenant is from a husband and wife team. The owners are Judd and Kate Foster of South Of Heaven Barbeque. Judd is from New York City yet his cooking style is influenced by Texas and Carolina barbeque. In 2015, the Fosters decided to open their own restaurant and from that idea, South Of Heaven BBQ was born. The couple focused mostly on the Atlanta area along with surrounding cities and in 2018 the couple opened their first location in Carrollton Georgia. Their menu is based on traditional BBQ while also including a vegan and vegetarian flare to your classic southern BBQ. Judd and Kate looked at several locations. He grew up in a victorian home similar to the mansion (just not as big), so it made him feel as if he was home. He also chose it for its nostalgia due to the fact being that nostalgia is what he believes barbeque is! “It reminds you of a memory. It's a smell, its a taste, it's a place in your heart.” The couple says they chose Carrollton because they have a two-year-old and they wanted to raise him in a smaller community with great schools. Judd first fell in love with Carrollton as his wife has been a long time customer of tattoo artist Craig Foster at Skinwerks and he immediately fell in love with Carrollton’s charm.

After talking with a few of the former and present owners of the Maple Street Mansion, one is able to gain a sense of its beautiful and illustrious history. The Mansion has survived for many years only because of local citizens such as Mr. Uglum and The Fosters. L.C Mandeville had this place built for the person he loved the most and yet it is funny how those who take ownership of it do it because of what they love the most, whether it's for family or for food. The mansion has survived possible demolition in 2014 and is now a thriving BBQ restaurant and event venue. The Maple Street Mansion will continue to tell stories for generations to come as long as we keep listening to them.