MAK was one of the City of Decatur’s first residential subdivisions and was developed in the early 1900s by the local businessmen, Mayson & Weekes. Many of the homes in the MAK Historic District were designed by Leila Ross Wilburn (1885-1967), alumnus of Agnes Scott Institute (now Agnes Scott College) and one of Atlanta’s first female architects. The preservation of the historic character of the MAK neighborhood and its homes is a celebration of her achievements.

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The MAK neighborhood retains many of the Wilburn-designed homes and offers excellent examples of Craftsman-style homes that were popular during the first three decades of the 20th century. Wilburn’s designs reflected the values of the Craftsman movement—a movement that promoted craftsmanship, solid construction, family life, and egalitarian values as embodied in small houses for middle-class Americans.

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Many houses on Adams Street (where, at the initiation of development, houses were required to be two stories) reflect one-of-a-kind designs developed by Wilburn. Many houses on Kings Highway and on surrounding streets were based in large part on Lilburn’s “stock” designs some of which are featured in pattern books (from which people could choose a design and purchase construction plans) such as Ideal Homes of Today and Southern Homes and Bungalows.

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Today, Wilburn’s designs may be seen in Decatur, Ansley Park, Druid Hills, and Candler Park.