Roswell’s Mimosa Hall Could Become Oldest ‘Net-Zero’ Home In US

The Roswell City Council has approved a plan to make an antebellum home there the oldest energy-neutral house in the country.

A new roof complete with solar panels could turn Mimosa Hall into a “net-zero” building, one that makes more energy than it uses.

The home was originally built in 1841 for John Dunwoody, whose son went on to found the city of Dunwoody, Georgia.

By 2017, it was listed on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of “Places in Peril.” At the time, the group said the home’s nine-acre estate close to downtown Roswell made it a target for development.

The city of Roswell bought the home and grounds later that year for close to $3 million.

Roswell officials say making the home energy-neutral would reduce the city’s cost to maintain the property.

It would also give the city something to brag about.

Though there’s no official list, many consider a home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, built in 1901, to be the oldest “net-zero” home in the country.

Mimosa Hall is almost 60 years its senior.