Augusta National renovating Eisenhower Cabin

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The Eisenhower Cabin, built to serve a sitting president and one of the most historic structures on the grounds of Augusta National Golf Club, is undergoing an extensive restoration.

Plans titled "ANGC -- Cabin Expansion" were filed earlier this year with the Augusta Planning and Development Department. An Augusta National spokesman confirmed this week that work began this summer to update the cabin's infrastructure to modern standards while at the same time preserving its historical nature.

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Cosmetically, 15 holly trees and 61 azaleas are scheduled to be planted on the east side of the cabin. According to the plans, filed by Augusta firm Cranston Engineering Group P.C., less than one acre is affected.

The work is expected to be completed by the time the private club opens in October.

The cabin was built for Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie, in 1953. Eisenhower, supreme commander of the Allied Forces in World War II, joined the club in the late 1940s before the first of his two successful presidential campaigns.

After Eisenhower won the 1952 election, the club had to figure out how to handle staff and security for a sitting president's visits to Augusta. A group of Augusta National members bought building certificates for the cabin, and local architecture firm Eve and Stulb was commissioned to do the work.

Augusta National announced plans for the seven-room cabin before the 1953 Masters.

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The Eisenhower Cabin -- some call it Ike's Cabin, others refer to it as Mamie's Cabin -- is near the 10th tee and the practice putting green at Augusta National Golf Club. A gold presidential seal hanging over the front porch distinguishes it from the nine other cabins on the grounds.

The white cottage resembles the other cabins on the property but is much bigger than it appears from the outside. It consists of three floors, including a basement that was used by the Secret Service as its headquarters in Augusta.

The dining room of the spacious cabin offers views of Ike's Pond and the Par-3 Course. Upstairs, a portrait of Eisenhower's grandson David hangs above the fireplace.

Eisenhower made 45 visits to Augusta National -- five before his election, 29 while he was president and 11 after he left office -- and his trips were often lengthy. When Eisenhower wasn't in residence, other members used the cabin.

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While at the club, he would play golf and bridge, and he conducted his business affairs in an office built for him over the club's pro shop.

Although Eisenhower wasn't known for his skills as a golfer, his mark can be found all over Augusta National's grounds.

It was he who discovered an ideal spot for a fishing pond, and Ike's Pond was soon built.

And it was Eisenhower who kept hitting into the loblolly pine in the left-center of the 17th fairway. The president wanted to have the tree removed, and in a 1956 club meeting, he proposed that action.

The club's chairman, Clifford Roberts, ruled Eisenhower out of order and adjourned the meeting, and the tree was referred to as Ike's Tree until it was taken down following extensive damage from an ice storm in 2014.

This article is written by John Boyette from The Augusta Chronicle, Ga. and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.