History

The Magnolia District traces its roots back to the late 1800s…

when some of Madison’s founding families settled on the serene farmland and planted pecan orchards that still dot the landscape.  The Magnolia District is located in the heart of downtown Madison, nestled between Magnolia Street and the original community high school that educated generations of Madison children.  Through the years, as the City of Madison grew up around this special acreage, The Magnolia District and the historical buildings located on the property remained relatively unchanged – a time capsule of Madison’s past.

Developer Greg Johnston has a lifelong connection to this property.  As a child, Greg fondly recalls visiting the “Old House”, a turn of the century cottage located in the heart of The Magnolia District at 732 Magnolia Street, to visit his paternal grandparents Esther and Bower Johnston.  After the Johnstons retired from their respective careers, they decided to turn their hobby of antique collecting and restoration into a business.  The Johnstons purchased the property at 732 Magnolia Street in 1972, and opened Williamsburg Antiques.  For the next 30 years, until the death of Mrs. Johnston in 2002, Williamsburg Antiques operated from the Old House.  As a boy, Greg spent many happy times at the Old House polishing furniture, mowing grass, and picking up pecans in the yard from the many old pecan trees surrounding the house. After Mrs. Johnston’s passing in 2002, Greg, with the help of his parents Brent and Cynthia Johnston, restored the Old House and converted it into Greg’s law office.  This project was certainly a labor of love.  

In 2005, Greg and his parents had the opportunity to acquire an additional property in The Magnolia District – a 1920s cottage adjacent to his office at 742 Magnolia Street. The cottage once served as the home for the school principal at the nearby high school.  The cottage had fallen into disrepair and partially burned, but the Johnstons carefully restored it so that it would remain historically accurate.  Over the years the Johnstons have built several other buildings and acquired additional property in The Magnolia District for future development.

In 2018, Greg and his business partner Chuck Bell, a local pharmaceutical executive and entrepreneur, acquired an additional 7 acres in The Magnolia District that had been owned by the Price-Cox family for nearly 100 years.  In addition to the historical structures on the property, an old well that once provided water for crops and livestock can still be found underneath the towering, old oaks and magnolia trees.  The existing historical structures on this acreage will be moved to another location in The Magnolia District where they will be carefully preserved and restored in order to make way for the new development.

The Magnolia District will always preserve and honor its history, while also looking to the bright and bold future of The City of Madison.