Swan House
Swan house was completed in 1928 for Mr. and Mrs. Edward Hamilton Inman, heirs to a cotton-brokerage fortune. Named for the swan motif found throughout the interior, the house was designed by architect Philip Trammell Shutze (1890 – 1982), of the Atlanta firm Hentz, Reid and Adler. In 1977, Shutze was recognized as America’s greatest living Classical architect.
In addition to the exceptional architectural design, Swan House features embellishments by several noted artist. Naturalist, muralist, in eminent bird painter Athos Menaboni decorated Mrs. Inman’s dressing room. Herbert J Millard hand-carved wood components throughout the home and prominent interior decorator Ruby Ross Wood consulted on several of the main rooms.
In 1966, under the leadership of Mrs. Ivan Allen Jr., the Atlanta Historical Society purchased Swan House and most of its original furnishings, ranging from 18th-century antiques to 20th-century objects. Swan House opened to the public in 1967 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and a City designated Landmark. The property encompasses 22 acres of gardens and forest, all original components of Shutze’s novel site plan.
Plaque courtesy Lat34North.com.
Original page, with additional info, here.
Photo credit: Todd Massar.