Leila Ross Wilburn

Leila Ross Wilburn (1885–1967) was an early 20th-century architect, one of the first women in Georgia to enter that profession.

Early life Leila Ross Wilburn was born in Macon, Georgia. She was the first of five children of Joseph Gustavus Wilburn and Leila Ada Ross. From 1902 to 1904, Wilburn attended Agnes Scott Institute where she studied liberal arts and science.

In 1906-1907, she apprenticed with B. R. Padgett and Son, a firm specializing in residences. Fittingly, she opened her office not in the Candler Building, where architects' offices were concentrated, but in the Peters Building, occupied by realtors and developers. Thanks to her location in the Peters Building, she developed close ties with contractors, builders, and developers, who bought her plan books and her plans and built her houses by the hundreds. She is the only female architect known to have published plan books. Many of the homes in the MAK Historic District in Decatur were also designed by Wilburn. Wilburn homes can also be seen in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, and Michigan.

The Leila Ross Wilburn Papers at the Atlanta Historical Society document over 300 sets of house plans drawn by Wilburn.

In 2018, Sarah J. Boykin and Susan M. Hunter published a survey of the southern homes built from Wilburn’s plan books, examining Wilburn’s architectural legacy and her achievements as a plan book architect. Hedrick-Ashley House, 310 S. 10th Ave., Lanett, Alabama (Wilburn, Leila Ross), 1916, Design No. 564, Page 48-49, Southern Homes And Bungalows, (built on custom plans) Kidd House, 222 Hartwell Rd. Lavonia, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed Martin Historic District, Along both sides of GA 17 and the Norfolk Southern RR tracks Martin, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed Piedmont Park Apartments, 266 11th St. Atlanta, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed Piedmont and Third Condominiums, previously known as The Chatham Court, 690 Piedmont Ave. Atlanta, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed Alexander Stephens Skelton House, 214 Athens St. Hartwell, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed One or more works in Ayden Historic District, roughly bounded by Verna St., Peachtree St., E. College St. and Planters St. Ayden, NC (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed One or more works in Collins Avenue Historic District, Collins Ave. Acworth, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed One or more works in Greenville Street-LaGrange Street Historic District, LaGrange, Ninnons, Greenville, Powell, Reese, Powell and Buchanan Sts. Newnan, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed One or more works in West Avenue-Roberts Street Residential Historic District, Between Mason and Jones Sts. Lavonia, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed One or more works in Winnona Park Historic District, Roughly bounded by E. College Ave., Avery St., S. Columbia Dr., and Mimosa Dr. Decatur, GA (Wilburn, Leila Ross), NRHP-listed [Candler Park] 1234 Mclendon Avenue NE, Atlanta, GA 30307 [Virginia Highland] 1102 Saint Charles Pl NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 [Morningside] 1319 Northview Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30306 [Historic Druid Hills] 923 Springdale Road, Atlanta, GA 30307 Sherman House, 16870 Co Rd 32, Summerdale, AL, 36580; constructed 1937 from plan #5668 in Homes in Good Taste. (Wilburn, Leila Ross) Reed House, 3080 Atlanta Rd SE, Smyrna, GA 30080; circa 1910

Honors In 1961, Wilburn was welcomed into the Society of American Registered Architects, an honor which is reflected in the fact that the membership certificate at the time still read, “Having given evidence of his qualifications....”

Wilburn was inducted as a Georgia Woman of Achievement in 2003 as "one of the pioneering women architects in the United States".

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