Maloof Residence – Abandoned House

Aziz Daher Maloof was born in Lebanon in 1892 and immigrated to the United States at 19. After coming to America, A. D. Maloof moved to Atlanta and later relocated to Dawson in June 1914 where he engaged in business. He founded Maloof’s Department Store which steadily grew. The patronage he received enabled him to extend his operations to become the town’s largest and most up-to-date mercantile and ready-to-wear establishment with another branch store located in Cuthbert. A. D. Maloof married Salina Saliba Maloof and the couple had three children, two girls and a boy. The couple’s only son, Alfred Aziz Maloof, was born April 28, 1915.

After graduating from Georgia Tech in 1936, Alfred returned home to Dawson to work at Maloof’s. While his father was away on business, Alfred ran the department store with his mother. Maloof’s Department Store was considered the heartbeat of Dawson and was the only store to offer charge accounts. The current store located in downtown Dawson was opened in the 1960s and included roughly 10,000 square feet. The left side of the building subleased to a grocery store and the right side housed the family’s department store. As a young adult, Alfred followed in his father’s footsteps and became a well-known figure in the small town. In 1949, Alfred Maloof was elected chairman of the Merchant’s Association. He also got married and had four daughters around this time but lost his wife to cancer in 1953.

Alfred married Mary Azar Maloof in 1955. The following year the couple welcomed their only daughter, Patricia, into this world. Before meeting Alfred, Mary attended the University of Georgia and graduated from Agnes Scott College in 1945 with a bachelor’s degree in economics. She had a pioneering banking career with American National Bank in Atlanta. Quite a tastemaker, her innate sense of style and grace was evident to everyone who met her. She worked as Alfred’s partner at Maloof’s Department Store in Dawson. Mary had a strong business acumen and enjoyed building the company and taking frequent buying trips with Alfred. A. D. Maloof died in 1973 and left the family business to his son. Together, Alfred and Mary continued his father’s legacy, creating a special community center where friends and neighbors from surrounding counties came to shop and visit.

Property records show Alfred Maloof owned this 4,200-square-foot mid-century residence constructed in 1962. According to several long-time residents, the house was built for businessman and politician Curtis Dixon Oxford. He owned a Gulf Oil distribution firm, several service stations, and a 400-acre farm. He was also the former president of the Bank of Dawson. Oxford was born on his father’s farm across the road from his home. He received his formal education at Dawson schools, Georgia Military Academy at Milledgeville, and North Georgia College at Dahlonega. His ambition as a young man was to be a farmer, but he loved politics. This led to his position as state leader. C. D. Oxford and his wife enjoyed playing golf and practicing putting on the spacious lawn of their brick bungalow. Oxford served in the Georgia Senate in the 1950s, serving in the 11th Senatorial District including Clay, Randolph, and Terrell counties. He also chaired the State Highway Board under Gov. Herman Talmadge from 1948-1950 and was a member of the board thereafter until he resigned in 1955.

The property sits next to Dawson Country Club. Alfred was a charter member, past president, and served on the board of directors. He also served as president of the Terrell County Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Double Tree Country Club of Albany. Alfred Maloof was a member and past president of the Dawson Rotary Club where he received the Paul Harris Fellow Award. The couple retired and closed Maloof’s Department Store in 1989. A lifelong Dawson resident, Alfred Maloof died of a heart attack at 80 in 1995 and was buried in Cedar Hill Cemetery in Dawson. Mary continued to live in the house until 2010 when she moved to Tennessee to be closer to her daughter and son-in-law. Mary died in 2014 at 89 and resides in Cedar Hill Cemetery alongside her late husband. The house remained vacant as the family worked to find a use for the property. In January 2023, the house was sold and demolished. The current owner plans to build another home on the property.

Thank you for reading. Please share the blog with your friends. I appreciate your support. You can find me on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. For more amazing, abandoned places check out my photography books.