Benefits and events often held at Glenridge Hall

The former Glenridge Hall built on 400 acres in Sandy Springs was once the location of special events in Atlanta. In October of 1930, the Atlanta Journal newspaper reported, “Glenridge Hall to be Scene of Benefit Musicale.” The home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas K. Glenn was the location of a benefit for Wesley Memorial Hospital, the hospital that would eventually become Emory University Hospital.

This was the sixth year for the annual musicale benefit for the hospital. Dr. Malcolm Dewey, director of the Emory Glenn Club, was in charge of the program. The home was very new at this point, having been built in 1929. (Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, Places in Peril 2015)

The beneficiary of the event, Wesley Memorial Hospital, is today’s Emory University Hospital. Wesley Memorial was founded in 1904 and located in a downtown Atlanta mansion. The hospital needed more space by 1922, so it moved to the location where Emory Hospital is today on Clifton Road in DeKalb County.

In December 1935, a Christmas musicale event was held at the home. Guests of the event enjoyed a buffet supper and Christmas carol presentation by the Emory University Glee Club. Mrs. Glenn is described as “keenly interested in all matters of civic improvement.” She was a leading member of the Planter’s Garden Club. (Atlanta Constitution, Dec. 21, 1935, “Musicale and Supper at Glenridge Hall.”

The Planter’s Club held an event at Glenridge Hall in 1938, featuring a fascinating display of antiques. The event was announced in writer Sally Forth’s Society column in the Nov. 2, 1938 edition of The Atlanta Constitution.

Items on display at the home included a silver dish with the crest of King George V. A set of 12 silver dishes were meant to be melted down, but one was somehow rescued and was in the possession of an Atlanta citizen, which they allowed to be displayed at Glenridge Hall. The second city directory for Atlanta, dating to 1867, was also displayed. The silver buckle of a Revolutionary War Patriot was included in the display of antiques. The beneficiary of this event is not mentioned in the Atlanta Constitution article.

Glenridge Hall was demolished in 2015.