By DAVE HAMRICK
Staff Writer

History buffs in Fayette County have 60 days to look into an alternative site for a house on Long Street in Fayetteville that has historic significance.

Neel Reid, a famous Atlanta architect from 1909 to 1926, did some design work on the Dorsey house at 205 Long Street, county historian Carolyn Cary told the county commissioners last week.

Members of the Fayette County Historical Society and the county Heritage Committee want time to determine whether the house can be moved and preserved before the county tears it down, along with three others on Long Avenue, to make way for a new jail and judicial complex.

Cary told the group that there are 400 Fayette County buildings that meet the accepted definition of being historic — more than 50 years old, and the historical groups understand if the house has to be razed. “We know you can't save them all,” she said.

But if a way can be found, the house is worth saving, she added.

Commissioners tabled a decision on the fate of the house for 60 days. The delay in disposing of the house won't hold up the jail project, officials said. The project is still in its design phase, and once a design is in place, a referendum probably will be called early next year to get voter approval of whatever financing option the county decides on.