The house at 7 3rd Ave SE in downtown Cairo was built in 1901, as a family residence for Mr. The Wight family was and continues to be a prominent family in Grady County. W. S. Wight was a local merchant, business owner and President of Citizen’s Bank. Upon the death of Mr. W.S. Wight the deed to the house was left to Mrs. Sarah B. Wight who lived in the house until her death in 1953, with the exce
ption of a ten year period. Between 1932 and 1942 the house was rented to a Mr. Robert Crines from New Jersey, who moved to the area to start a dairy farm. In 1953, the house was deeded to Mrs. Wight’s daughter, Mrs. Louisa Sheehy, a school teacher, who lived there until it was sold in 1980 to Mr. Allen Martin. In 2000, the house was sold to the Simmons family who turned this historic house into a commercial property. Samuel Simmons opened an elegant restaurant known as Annier’s Courtyard in October of 2000. Brasington Place is an example of a well-preserved Victorian two-story frame house. This style home was commonly built by many rising middle class families in the early twentieth century. Designed by one of the most successful architects in the United States during this period, George Franklin Barber (1854-1915) was well known for his Queen Anne style Victorian house plans. George F. Barber worked as an architect in Knoxville, Tennessee, but his homes can be found in all fifty states due to his popular mail order blueprint business. The façade of Brasington Place features many design elements common to G.F. Barber’s designs including dormer windows, brackets, gable ornaments, a wrap-around veranda with detailed fretwork, fish-scale shingles, and elegant side bay windows. Inside this charming piece of history are many more design elements attributed to G.F. Barber such as a central hall with a grand staircase, which features the original intricate fretwork. The house remained vacant and in a state of disrepair for a period of three years before the current owners, Robert and Meghan Ridenour, purchased the property in March of 2014. The Ridenours have renovated the property in hopes of restoring its original historic beauty. This historic showcase property is now available as an event venue, which can be rented for special events such as showers, weddings, parties, receptions, family reunions and banquets.
