Author Terry Martin-Hart will walk history buffs through the history of Avondale Estates at the DeKalb History Center’s final Archives Lecture Series for 2009 on Nov. 17.

Martin-Hart, an independent communications specialist and magazine journalist with more than 20 years of professional experience, released “Images of America: Avondale Estates,” in 1999, which depicts the history of the unique town through a vivid collection of historic photographs.

The city of Avondale Estates was founded by George Francis Willis in 1924 after a trip with his wife to the British city of Stratford-upon-Avon.

The planned city was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. The historic district is recognized for its significance in architecture, community planning and landscape architecture.

Planned landscape features are located throughout the community, which features a downtown commercial area in the English Vernacular Revival style.

Avondale Estates’ downtown is sometimes called a “Tudor village.”

The lecture, which is free, will be noon at the Old Courthouse on the Square. Guests can bring bag lunches to eat during the program.