A house that survived for more than a century is getting a new life not as a museum, but as a place for coffee and community. In Acworth, Georgia, the historic McCray House was moved from its original site to make way for a new hotel, rather than being demolished. The nearly $500,000 relocation and restoration effort has preserved the pre-Civil War structure, which is now being prepared as a new location for Bizarre Coffee. According to Bizarre Coffee’s official Acworth page, the company’s forthcoming shop will operate inside the historic McCray House at 4415 Cherokee Street, next to Logan Farm Park.
A historic house gets a second chance
The McCray House dates to the mid-1800s and is one of Acworth’s surviving historic structures. The house later became closely associated with the McCray family, who acquired it in the 1960s. Over the years, the property became part of the community’s social life, with family events, weddings, holiday celebrations and a petting zoo among the memories associated with the home. When redevelopment was planned for the property’s original location, the city chose to relocate the structure instead of allowing it to be lost. CBS Atlanta reported in March 2026 that a new hotel was being developed on the original lot and that the city spent $500,000 to move the house and repurpose it as a coffee shop.The City of Acworth purchased the abandoned 19th-century property and approximately three acres in 2021. Earlier plans involved transferring the house to Cobb Landmarks for restoration and use as an event and exhibit space, but the nonprofit eventually stepped away from the proposal because of budget considerations. In 2025, the city’s Board of Aldermen approved $84,800 for architectural and engineering services connected with the relocation.
The move was part of a wider effort to preserve the building’s historic character while giving it a practical future (Image Credit: Facebook/ @Save Acworth History by Mark Turner)
Moving the house instead of tearing it down
Relocating a historic house is far more complicated than simply transporting a building from one address to another. According to CROFT & Associates, which worked with the City of Acworth and Macallan Construction, the McCray Farmhouse was separated from later additions, placed on steel beams and transported along Cherokee Street to its new location at the entrance to Logan Farm Park.The move was part of a wider effort to preserve the building’s historic character while giving it a practical future. The City of Acworth’s project updates also linked the relocation to plans for a new hotel on the property’s original site. Jeff Chase, Acworth’s director of downtown development, tourism and historic preservation, told CBS Atlanta how the new foundation was prepared. Chase said the structure was positioned over a cinder-block wall, with the wall then being built upward to meet the bottom of the house.For members of the McCray family, the project also represented the preservation of decades of personal memories. Speaking to CBS Atlanta, Moose McCray recalled the house’s connection to weddings, children and community gatherings and said he was glad that the property would be preserved.
From family home to coffee shop
The next chapter for the building is considerably different from its earlier roles. Bizarre Coffee is preparing to open its Acworth location inside the restored McCray House. The company’s official website currently lists the location as “coming soon” at 4415 Cherokee Street and describes it as a historic home that has been part of the Acworth community for generations. Bizarre Coffee also says the future shop will sit beside Logan Farm Park, include an outdoor patio, and retain much of the historic house’s character. The company has described the project as the next chapter for the building as it prepares to become its Acworth location.The City of Acworth celebrated the restoration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 16, 2026. The city said the project team had worked to maintain the historic integrity of the building while allowing its story to continue through a new use. The City of Acworth also noted that Sabrina Kaylor, owner of Bizarre Coffee, would bring new memories to the property when the shop opens. The restoration work has included attention to the building’s exterior and interior character. Macallan Construction, one of the project’s partners, said the work included a new roof, exterior siding, refinished floors and restoration of intricate porch details as the house was prepared for its new use as Bizarre Coffee.
A preserved landmark with a new purpose
The McCray House is therefore becoming an unusual example of adaptive reuse. Instead of remaining an abandoned structure or disappearing beneath redevelopment, the historic house has been physically moved, restored and given a commercial purpose. Its future as a coffee shop also means the building will remain part of everyday life in Acworth. Visitors will be able to use a structure that dates back to the mid-19th century while experiencing a completely different chapter of its history.For a house that has already passed through multiple generations, survived major changes around it and moved to a new location, its next chapter will begin with something much simpler: coffee, conversation and another generation of community memories.
