The Original DES Dunwoody Elementary School

5339 Chamblee Dunwoody Road has hosted many facilities the past 50 years.  Currently its the site of the North DeKalb Cultural Center.  Why it is not yet called the Dunwoody Cultural Arts Center is a mystery. It should be renamed to reflect its owner (City of Dunwoody).  At this site you'll find the Spruill Center for the Arts, Stage Door Players, and the Dunwoody/DeKalb library.

If you've ever been inside the Spruill section of this building it's easy to see it is a former school, Dunwoody Elementary School.  The Stage Door Player area was the school's auditorium.  The library was added to the former school in 1989 (same time as adding the Cultural Arts component).  

The address is 5339 everywhere except the city's GIS site. showing it as 5349

Carey Spruill Plowing in Dunwoody

 Today's look back in time bring us Mr. Carey Spruill and Shorty working a field.  The year is around 1971. Can you identify the building in the background?  It is the clue to the road/lot.  Let me know in the comments. These photos from the original negatives (yes, I have the negatives)

Lemonade Days Dunwoody Early Years

 Many events were aligned with Lemonade Days in the early years.  5K runs, home tours, concerts, and more

Below is a 4 page packet seeking sponsors of the 2001 event.  Note the dates include two weekends. The event was not yet at Brook Run Park.

Front Cover

In 2000, the first year of Lemonade Days, the DPT organized a home tour.  Homes damaged in the 1998 tornado were featured.  This rare Lemonade Days booklet contains before/after photos of the homes included in the tour.

Year four (4) is at Brook Run, but on a much smaller scale.  DeKalb County still controls the parks at this time, not the City of Dunwoody.  The Brook Run theater plays host to concerts over the weekend.  After years of neglect by DeKalb County and the City of Dunwoody (the theater was in bad shape when Dunwoody won a court battle taking control of the parks, and the city council voted to not fund improvements for the theater.  It's gone, and so is its history.  It was replaced with a few bags of grass seed and some saplings.), the theater was demolished in 2016.  The whereabouts of the theater's stained glass windows is a mystery.  Last we heard the windows were placed in crates and hauled to an unknown storage location.

Below is a rough draft letter to then Commissioner Elaine Boyer, requesting use of Brook Run.

Dunwoody Lemonade Days Shirt History DPT

 The Dunwoody Preservation Trust holds an annual fundraiser here in Dunwoody called Lemonade Days.  The event has grown significantly since the early years.  

Bonus shirt (not LD)

Bonus Shirt

NOTE: Dun Pres trust NOT mentioned on the 2011 shirt