The Andalusia Junior Women’s Club selected the 104 Hand Avenue residence for their December “Pride of Andalusia” Award. The recipients of honor are Jared Boutwell and Gerry Richards who are both employed by the City of Andalusia. The couple has resided at the home since its restoration last year. The 1951 home was built by the Waller-Barnes Construction Company for then-Mayor Tracey B. Wilder and wife Inez Moye Wilder. The dwelling sat vacant after Mrs. Wilder’s death at 103 years old in 2008.

When Boutwell and Richards purchased the property, it was a time capsule well preserved with the pastels of the 1950s era, complete with some of the original furnishings that remain today. It is also noted that the floor plan was featured in the prominent Better Homes & Gardens magazine. The property features one of Andalusia’s finest Camellia collections. Some 130 Camellias, tagged, dated and propagated by the late First Lady, are still thriving. The lush zoysia lawn, azaleas, towering mature pines, and the great oak all combine to create a landscape known as the “Pride of Andalusia.”

The home is featured in Sunday’s Luncheon Pilot Club Tour of homes.