655 Riverhill Dr, Athens, GA 30606

Welcome to 655 Riverhill Drive in Beechwood Hills. This timeless 4 bedroom 2 bath ranch style home sits on a large natural wooded lot upon the Middle Oconee River. Entering the home you immediately notice the hardwood floors throughout and the open living plan connecting the living and kitchen areas providing great space and natural light coming from the double doors that lead to the large and updated tiered back deck. The large living/dining area has plenty of room for entertaining. The eat-in kitchen has plenty of cabinets, a built in island open to additional dining/sitting area with a wood burning fireplace making it a perfect spot to relax. Down the hall from the living areas is a shared full bathroom and 4 nice sized bedrooms, with 2 of the bedrooms connected by a shared full bathroom. There is interior/exterior access to the large basement with a cool sliding glass door at the base of the stairs. Currently, part of the basement houses the laundry area, a workshop area with built in shelves (and dutch door) along with plenty of open space that has potential for finishing, while the other side of the basement (estimating around 500 sqft) has HVAC in place, a wood burning fireplace, built in shelving and bar. From the basement there is access to the back patio area and lower tier of the back deck along with a firepit area and trail that leads down to the river. Back upstairs to the newly updated deck that overlooks this naturally wooded and fenced lot. Having the double doors open to the deck is a real treat for enjoying the nicer weather and gives a sense of privacy with all the surrounding trees in the back yard. The lot naturally slopes towards the Middle Oconee River and could be left in its current natural state or has great potential for beautiful landscaping from the house down to the river. These river lots are a rare treat in town and great place to relax with family and friends. Other details include HVAC replaced within the past 3 years, double paned windows throughout, additional storage in the carport, additional off street parking and this also being an original owner home. An interesting and fun bit of history is this home was built for James Jenkins (known to many as Jungle Jim), who pioneered the Wildlife Department at the UGA School of Forestry where he taught for several years. This lot was one of the first builds in Beechwood Hills and was chosen specifically by Dr. Jenkins for the bird watching opportunities and the feeling of living among the trees. Dr. Jenkins was the first graduate student of Dr. Eugene Odom (known as the Father Of Ecology) and also held several patents and was co-inventor of the tranquilizer gun that was instrumental in allowing endangered species such as the southern white rhino to be moved into protected reserves. Much of his invention research and work was done in the basement of 655 Riverhill Dr. Here's your chance to call this place home and have a part of history as a bonus!