George Sibley Hart, Jr.

George Sibley Hart, Jr. was born in Athens, Georgia, on January 5th,1942, to Margaret and George Sibley Hart. He died on October 30th, 2026, after 84 wonderful years on this good earth, spreading sunshine wherever he went. He was kindness personified, with the mind of a Renaissance man and the soul of a country boy.

George’s impressionable early years were spent in Gray, GA, where life was beautifully close to the bone and lagged a half-century behind, before moving on to his treasured years at Lanier Boys High School in Macon. He accepted a scholarship to Emory University, where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Medieval English History before attending University of Virginia Law school. He served four years as a Naval officer during the Viet Nam War and later earned his MBA at Harvard.

In 1968 he married Henrietta Collier Armstrong (Penny), with whom he shared an unusually fulfilling and copacetic 58 years.

George followed his varied business interests down several different paths, but his true passion was revitalizing inner city living, using adaptive reuse development whenever possible. He was very instrumental in the creation of Colony Square, which sparked the rebirth of Midtown. He later moved on to the Grant Park area where he transformed neglected properties into thriving entities, starting with the area’s very first warehouse-to-condominium conversion. He was also deeply dedicated to that neighborhood’s fabulous landmark, Historic Oakland Cemetery, where he volunteered for years and served as its Board Chair.

George was a caretaker of people, but also of places with a past. He spent many years lovingly restoring his home of 57 years, a former hunting lodge which may be the oldest house in Buckhead. He revitalized a large farm and antebellum house in South Fulton County, where he also chaired the neighborhood association that successfully protected that pristine area from unprincipled developers for years.

Most recently he and his compadre, Sonny Seals, founded the non-profit Historic Rural Churches of Georgia and co-authored a beautiful book of the same name.

George was a talented musician (particularly bluegrass and vintage Black R & B), a dedicated historic preservationist, a committed community volunteer, a lover of all things flora and fauna, a friend to all who crossed his path, and a gentleman to the core.

He is survived by his wife, Penny; his daughter, Willow Hart; his granddaughter, Rhiannon Hart; his “honorary daughters”, Catherine Campbell & Kristy Jordan; his nieces Beverly Bremer and Mimi Woodruff; his nephew, Hank Bremer; his cousin, Irene Cordell; and a host of treasured and supportive friends.

At George’s request, there will be no traditional memorial ceremony. He will instead be celebrated at a casual open house at his home in early December, where friends can share memories, eat, drink and be merry to impromptu music. His final resting place will be the Collier Mausoleum at Historic Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

If you so choose, George may be honored by a donation to your favorite charity or to any of the following non-profits: Historic Oakland Cemetery, Historic Rural Churches of GA, Atlanta Preservation Center, Buckhead Heritage, Tyrone Alliance for Responsible Growth, Planned Parenthood, or Compassion & Choices.