A Decatur landmark, this Colonial Revival style home with
the traditional large columns and wide front portico was built
in 1912 for Decatur’s first millionaire, W. R. Spight, owner of
Brock & Spight Wholesale Grocers.

Although it has only been owned by four families, the house has
had a colorful history: from family home to boarding house,
from music studio to artist residence, and from mission/church
meeting house to special event place. Though unverified, even
whispers of shady goings on have been heard… which perhaps
best remain unspecified.

The present owners walked around the property for many years on their neighborhood strolls and wondered at the state of neglect of this beautiful building. When the opportunity presented itself, Viljar and Senta Weimann purchased the property in 2009. Discovering the unusually open main floor plan became the quintessential “light bulb” moment, in spite of the general state of serious disrepair, they could imagine a gathering for celebrations and so the idea for an intimate special event place was born.

Hence, 601 Jackson became “The Columns in Decatur”, an obvious reference to the dominant exterior feature of the building. The idea of a house of celebration was recently confirmed with a surprise visit from the granddaughter and great granddaughter of G.B. Hamilton, a previous long time owner of the home. His granddaughter shared that her parents had been married in front of the fireplace. The Hamilton family rejoiced that the house had now become what they too envisioned it could be-a place for celebration.

The continuing restoration of the property has been mindful of
maintaining the integrity of the home. Only one minor alteration
to the floor plan has been made in order to accommodate
an accessible rest room on the main floor. As a family of musicians,
the Weimanns have brought the home to life not only
with the physical repair, but also with their music.