Neel Reid

Who was Neel Reid?

Joseph Neel Reid, also referred to as J. Neel Reid or Neel Reid, was a prominent architect in Atlanta, Georgia in the early 20th century for his firm Hentz, Reid and Adler.

Reid was born in Jacksonville, Alabama, in 1885. He moved to Macon, Georgia,with his family in 1890. After an apprenticeship with architect Curran Ellis, Reid moved to Atlanta to continue his career at the suggestion of his mentor. Reid specialized in fine residential structures but also designed the 1908 Atlanta and the Scottish Rite Children's Hospital in Oakhurst. A three story apartment building he designed on the south side of 7th St between Peachtree and Juniper is being renovated in a large construction project on that block as of 2006. Other examples of Reid's industrial designs include the Haas-Howell Building in Atlanta's Fairlie-Poplar district and the Scottish Rite Convalescent Hospital for Crippled Children in Decatur. The Henry B. Tompkins House in Atlanta was designed by Reid.

In his later years, Reid lived in Mimosa Hall in Roswell which he bought in 1916 and extensively renovated including designing the gardens. Other Reid projects in Roswell include the front entrance of the Foster House and the design and build of the Brantley-Newton House. In Athens, Georgia, Reid's work can be seen in the James White House on Prince Avenue, circa 1923, which is the present day Delta Tau Delta fraternity house. Reid also designed the current home of the Polk County Historical Society in Cedartown, Georgia.