Historic Southern home has 'colorful' past

ATHENS, Ga., May 12 (UPI) -- Restoration of Gen. T.R.R. Cobb's home in Athens, Ga., surprised both preservationists and those opposed to commemorating a Confederate -- his house was pink.

Two years ago, renovation of the Greek Revival mansion pitted Southern heritage proponents against a neighborhood opposed to remembering a defender of slavery, the Christian Science Monitor reported.

But even the staunchest defenders of the house paused when, a few months ago, house painter Pete Dandolos applied the first coats of historically correct paint to the renovated mansion. The general's house was bubble-gum pink.

The reaction ranged from angry to amused. Some who had fought against the house liked it. Dixie diehards refused to believe it.

Cobb's choice probably wasn't unique. Many mansions of the day -- and their architectural details -- were lost in the North's destruction of the South.

"We have found some outlandish, wonderful colors," said Frank White, a director of the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in Atlanta.