Timeless Solar Screen Cordless Shades and Drapery for the Historic Bon Air of Augusta on Walton Way in Augusta, GA

January 26, 2026

Solar screen cordless shades drapery historic bon air augusta ga

Apex Shades, Blinds & Shutters was recently honored to be chosen as part of the renovation team for the historic Bon Air Apartments in Augusta, GA. Formally the Bon Air Vanderbilt Hotel, this historic building, originally opened in 1889 and completely rebuilt in 1923, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The former grand hotel was once a top southern travel destination for the famous and wealthy including novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, billionaire John D. Rockefeller, presidents William H. Taft, Warren G. Harding, Dwight Eisenhower and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Known as the unofficial home of the Masters in the early years, it hosted most of the tournament participants and many of the attendees. The ballroom or Terrace Room was known for many lavish parties, even during prohibition in the roaring 20's and was later the center of many events hosted by golf legend Bobby Jones during early years of the Masters Golf Tournament. The White House Press Corp set up in this room during some of the many visits by President Eisenhower. Over time, the hotel deteriorated and was turned into a retirement community in 1960, and then apartments for elderly or disabled residents.

For this renovation we installed light filtering solar screen cordless shades by Superior Window Coverings for the large windows for the first floor offices facing the front of the building. These shades were an excellent choice for solar control. For the historic Terrace Room, we installed elegant pleated sheer draperies by Lafayette Interior Fashions, using Kirsch Elegant Brass finished split draw Estate traverse rods and Emerson style finials. This project was very successful in bringing back some elegance to this historic building.