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The Legacy of Nora G. Webb and Webb Construction Company in Virginia-Highland

Walk almost any street in Virginia-Highland and you are surrounded by the work of the 1920s — the front-gabled bungalows, the tapered porch piers, the deep eaves that define our neighborhood's beloved Craftsman character. These homes were built during Virginia-Highland's rapid transformation from farmland into one of Atlanta's first streetcar suburbs, a period when nearly all of the neighborhood's open land was developed.

Behind that transformation were the builders and contractors who did the work — and among them was a woman whose leadership was, for her time, almost unheard of: Nora G. Webb of Webb Construction.

It is difficult to overstate how rare her position was. In the 1920s, American women had only just gained the vote. They were commonly expected to give up work when they married, were frequently unable to secure loans or sign contracts without a husband's involvement, and were virtually shut out of the construction industry at every level. The building trades were regarded as a man's world from top to bottom. For a woman to run a construction company — to lead crews, manage a business, and build the homes a whole neighborhood would live in — placed Nora Webb among a tiny handful of women anywhere in the country doing such work.

Her story is one that has largely gone untold, preserved not in the headlines of her day but in the deeds, records, and homes she left behind.

Join local neighbor historian and researcher Kady DeWees for an evening exploring Webb Construction, the neighborhood it helped build, and the pioneering woman who led it against the expectations of her era.

Details When: Thursday, August 13, 2026, 6:30–8:30 p.m. Where: Atkins Park Restaurant, Upstairs Room, 794 North Highland Avenue NE, Atlanta Cost: Free and open to all neighbors Enjoy dinner and drinks while you learn and connect with your neighbors.  VHCA History Committee