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“Journal’s Model Houses; Home of Paul Romare” (1898)

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G.L. Norrman. Paul Romare Residence (1892, demolished before 1926). Atlanta.

The Background

This is the fouth in a series of articles published by The Atlanta Journal in 1898 featuring illustrations and floor plans of residences designed by Atlanta architects.

Here, the Journal highlighted the Paul Romare Residence, designed by G.L. Norrman and built in 1892.1 2 Like Norrman, Romare was a Swedish immigrant, and although he was 20 years older than Norrman,3 it appears the two men were close friends, and Norrman planned at least 4 projects for the Romare family over 21 years.

Romare’s large, eclectically styled house — the second Norrman designed for him — was located at 17 East North Avenue4 on what is now the site of the Bank of America Plaza in Midtown Atlanta.

However, the home was long gone before Bank of America, demolished at some point between 1923 and 1925,5 6 7 and replaced by a car dealership in 1926.8 What else would you expect from Atlanta?

There are a few things to note about the floor plans shown below:

  • The Journal mislabeled the first story plan as the “Second Floor Plan” and the second story plan as the “Ground Floor Plan”, because of course they did.
  • The first story plan centered around a reception hall with a fireplace, an evolution of the living hall concept Norrman used in the 1880s, prime examples of which can still be seen in the Edward C. Peters House and T.W. Latham House in Atlanta. For the Romare design, a separate stair hall was placed behind the reception hall. So many halls.
  • There were 2 full bathrooms in the Romare house — one per floor. The first-floor bathroom was connected to both the main bedroom and the stair hall, presumably to be shared by guests.
  • Bedroom closets were still a novelty in 1892, and like most homes that had them, the closets in the Romare design were tiny. However, Norrman also included spacious “dressing rooms” with closets in 3 of the 5 bedrooms, undoubtedly designed for Romare’s wife and 2 daughters.
  • Typical of Norrman’s residential designs for wealthy clients, the service areas were well-defined and separate from the rest of the home. Servants would be expected to enter from the rear porch, and the kitchen and rear stairs were buffered from the dining room by a large butler’s pantry.

Journal’s Model Houses; Home of Paul Romare.

The above cut represents the residence of Mr. Paul Romare on North avenue. It was built from the plans of Mr. G.L. Norrman at a cost of $12,000, and is one of the best constructed and most comfortable residences in the city. The plan is not altogether of any conventional style, but the details are in that of the renaissance. The interior arrangement fully appears in the floor plans of the first and second stories. The interior finish of the lower story is of hard wood, built in special designs from detail plans by Mr. Norrman. The parlor is finished in sycamore and beautifully frescoed. The diningroom [sic], library and other rooms of the lower story are finished in oak. The details are in keeping with the general style shown in the details of the exterior.

The workmanship and material from foundation to roof are of the best, and the arrangement makes the residence one of the most comfortable in the city.

The house is fitted with the best modern appliances for comfort, including electric bells, etc., and everything of that kind.9

References

  1. “The Home Builders”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 20, 1892, p. 8. ↩︎
  2. “My, How We Do Grow!” The Atlanta Constitution, September 21, 1892, p. 4. ↩︎
  3. “Mr. Paul Romare.” The Atlanta Constitution, February 12, 1893, p. 7. ↩︎
  4. Insurance maps, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911 / published by the Sanborn Map Company ↩︎
  5. “Four Apartment Houses Purchased By Manget; Over $100,000 Involved”. The Atlanta Journal, January 26, 1923, p. 36. ↩︎
  6. “Atlanta Title And Trust Company Publishes Comprehensive Summary Of Atlanta Real Estate Information”. The Atlanta Journal, May 13, 1923, 8F. ↩︎
  7. “Property Transfers”. The Atlanta Journal, January 25, 1925, p. 8F. ↩︎
  8. “Contract Is Signed For $600,000 Home For Motor Agency”. The Atlanta Journal, January 7, 1926, p. 1. ↩︎
  9. “Journal’s Model Houses; Home of Paul Romare”. The Atlanta Journal, January 29, 1898, p. 10. ↩︎

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