This is Atlanta’s only known extant work designed by J.W. Golucke (1857-1907), a shyster carpenter who built a career on smooth talk and grand delusions of being a legitimate architect.
A thoroughly fraudulent and incompetent designer, Golucke was one of several “Atlanta architects” of his era who did little actual work in the city, primarily peddling their shoddy plans to poor, rural communities that didn’t know any better. Thus, if you travel through backwoods Georgia, you’ll find more than a dozen county courthouses by Golucke’s design — all of them terrible.
Golucke fittingly died in a south Georgia jail cell while being held on charges of forgery, weeks after attempting suicide under the influence of drugs. His work is not celebrated here.
References
- J.W. Golucke – Wikipedia
- “Atlanta’s Growth.” The Atlanta Constitution, July 13, 1892, p. 7.
- “Mrs. M.A. Hale’s Death.” The Atlanta Constitution, March 29, 1896, p. 6.
- “J.W. Golucke Tries to Take His Life in Newton Jail”. The Atlanta Journal, October 7, 1907, p. 1.
- “Atlanta Man Tries Suicide”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 8, 1907, p. 9.
- “Death Takes J.W. Golucke”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 28, 1907, p. 6.