Monastery at Large

Category: Atlanta Buildings Illustrated

  • Carrie Steele Orphans’ Home – Atlanta (1889)

    Bruce & Morgan. Carrie Steele Orphans' Home (1889, unbuilt). Atlanta.
    Bruce & Morgan. Carrie Steele Orphans’ Home (1889, unbuilt). Atlanta.

    The Background

    The following article was published in The Atlanta Constitution in December 1889 and discusses the proposed design for the Carrie Steele Orphans’ Home, prepared by Bruce & Morgan of Atlanta.

    Carrie Steele Logan (pictured here1)was “well known and highly respected”2 in both the White and Black communities of Atlanta in the late 19th century. Born into slavery in 1829,3 she worked for many years as an attendant in Atlanta’s passenger depot,4 5 where she reportedly became distressed by the “little army of street vagrants who ran around the depot entrance.”

    Steele ultimately quit her job, “impressed with the responsibility of rescuing the little tots that struggled for existence,” and according to the Constitution, “as she left the depot she led several homeless waifs to her home on Wheat street.”

    In 1887, Steele began raising money to build an orphanage for Black children, which the Constitution described as a “praiseworthy work,” opining that:

    “The home will do a vast amount of good in recovering from lives of vice and crime the little negroes who run around our streets ragged, friendless and homeless…”

    Note that in this article, Albert Howell, one of the orphanage’s early supporters, claimed that the home would “take the little negro waifs and make good servants of them.”

    Steele was a tenacious advocate for the project, pursuing every possible fundraising method. In 1888, she even published a book of anecdotes about her time working in Atlanta’s depot, titled Life and Adventures of Mrs. Carrie Steele, Stewardess Atlanta Depot, with proceeds funding the orphanage.6

    Lacking land for the project, in 1889, Steele petitioned the City of Atlanta,7 8 which granted her a 99-year lease9 on a four- to five-acre parcel10 11 near the intersection of Fair Street and Flat Shoals Road (now the southeast corner of Memorial Drive SE and Holtzclaw Street SE).

    Location of Carrie Steele Orphans’ Home

    Steele reportedly “made many friends among the white people”,12 and it’s a testament to her reputation that the orphanage’s construction was funded by several of Atlanta’s wealthiest citizens, including Jonathan Norcross,13 who was, by all accounts, a miserly old asshole.

    In March 1890, The Atlanta Journal said of Steele’s fundraising efforts:

    “Almost all the prominent white people in the city have contributed something to the good cause, and to those who have not we desire to say that you could not contribute to a more laudable undertaking.”14

    Construction on the orphanage began in July 1890,15 but because it had to be built in stages as funding permitted, the project was completed in May 1892.16 However, the final structure wasn’t the one designed by Bruce & Morgan.

    The original design had apparently been dropped by May 1890, when Steele bought 30,000 bricks for the project17 18—note that the plan described and illustrated here was for a wood-frame building.

    Architect unknown. Carrie Steele Orphans' Home (1892). Atlanta.
    Architect unknown. Carrie Steele Orphans’ Home (1892). Atlanta.19

    The plain brick structure that was ultimately built for the orphanage appears to have had no designer—or at least, not a good one.

    Containing 13 rooms,20 the orphanage housed 36 children at its dedication,21 and by 1896, it sheltered 75 children between the ages of one and fifteen years old.22

    In 1894, Steele told a reporter from the Constitution:

    “If these were my own children I could not love them more than I do. They all look up to me as if I were their mother, and come to me with all their little troubles as if I always had a remedy for them. I have had a great many discouragements and trials, but when I look back over these years and see how the Lord has taken care of me and my children, I feel that I ought to be thankful.”23

    Steele died in November 1900 at the age of 61, two months after a debilitating stroke.24 Her funeral was reportedly attended by 3,000 people,25 with the Constitution reporting that “the church was filled to overflowing and about half of the audience was composed of whites.” She was buried in Oakland Cemetery, the final resting place of Atlanta’s most distinguished citizens.

    Steele’s husband managed the orphanage until he died in 1904,26 which continued operating under a succession of directors, notably Clara M. Pitts, who managed the home from 1919 to 1950.27

    In 1928, the orphanage left its original property on Fair Street and moved to the Pittsburgh neighborhood in southwest Atlanta.28 Later renamed the Carrie Steele-Pitts Home, the orphanage moved to Fairburn Road in west Atlanta in 1964,29 where it remains in operation as the oldest black orphanage in the United States.30

    For Negro Orphans.

    The Good Work Which Carrie Steele Has Done.

    The Home As It Will Appear When Finished
    — What a City Officer Has To Say About It — Other Notes of Interest.

    “That’s the best investment Atlanta has ever made.”

    Colonel Albert Howell was the speaker. As he made the remark he pointed to an architect’s drawing of the Carrie Steele Orphan home.

    “Yes,” said Colonel Howell, “that is one of the most sensible charities ever inaugurated, and to one woman belongs the credit for its inception and the good work that has already been done. Carrie Steele is a good woman, and I know she deserves every success in this life work of hers. For it is a life-work. It is two years now since the project was conceived by Carrie, or rather since she gave up her position at the carshed that she might devote her whole time to this home. She has labored honestly and earnestly for its success, and she expects to devote the rest of her life to it.”

    Colonel Howell has shown his faith by his works. It was through his influence as alderman that the lease on the four acres of city land, upon which the home will stand was extended from ten to ninety-nine years. And in all her efforts to secure city aid, Colonel Howell has been one of Carrie Steele’s most staunch supporters.

    “It is a good thing for Atlanta as well as the state at large–this orphans’ home,” he said yesterday. “For it is the intention of the people interested in the home to take the little negro waifs and make good servants of them. The education they receive will all be in the direction of practical usefulness.”

    The home will be located on the Flat Shoals road where Fair street will intersect it. This is about two and a half miles from the center of the city and is delightfully located.

    The building, which, when completed, will look like the accompanying cut, will be a frame structure built in the most substantial manner. The building when finished which will contain, on the first floor an office and room for matron, with two school rooms, chapel and large dining room, with kitchen and laundry rooms, for teaching kitchen work. The second floor will contain dormitories, bath rooms, and all modern conveniences, and in every way adapted to the purposes for which it is intended. The plans were prepared by Messrs. Bruce & Morgan, and preparations are being made for commencing the work at once.

    It is the intention of the projector to start with one wing, and use that for the purposes of the home. Then as the years go by and the home gets well started, the building will be completed.31

    References

    1. Illustration credit: “Training The Colored Children”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 7, 1896, p. 3. ↩︎
    2. “The Colored Orphans’ Home.” The Atlanta Constitution, June 9, 1889, p. 3. ↩︎
    3. Carrie Steele Logan: A ‘Mother’ to Atlanta’s Orphans | Atlanta History Center ↩︎
    4. ibid. ↩︎
    5. “Carrie Steele Gets Married.” The Atlanta Journal, February 16, 1889, p. 2. ↩︎
    6. “Carrie Steele’s Book.” The Weekly Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), March 6, 1888, p. 8. ↩︎
    7. “The City’s Finances.” The Atlanta Journal, January 21, 1889, p. 1. ↩︎
    8. “Local Law Makers.” The Atlanta Constitution, January 22, 1889, p. 5. ↩︎
    9. “The City Fathers”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 19, 1889, p. 3. ↩︎
    10. “The Carrie Steele Orphan Home.” The Atlanta Constitution, July 2, 1889, p. 8. ↩︎
    11. “Home For Colored Orphans.” The Atlanta Journal, May 9, 1890, p. 3. ↩︎
    12. “Carrie Steele Died Last Night”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 4, 1900, p. 7. ↩︎
    13. “The Atlanta Orphan Home.” The Atlanta Journal, February 13, 1890, p. 3. ↩︎
    14. “Atlanta Orphan Asylum.” The Atlanta Journal, March 12, 1890, p. 4. ↩︎
    15. “Foundations Laid”. The Atlanta Journal, July 4, 1890, p. 1. ↩︎
    16. “City Notes.” The Atlanta Constitution, May 2, 1892, p. 5. ↩︎
    17. “Home For Colored Orphans.” The Atlanta Journal, May 9, 1890, p. 3. ↩︎
    18. “The Good Work of Carrie Steele”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 10, 1890, p. 4. ↩︎
    19. “Training The Colored Children”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 7, 1896, p. 3. ↩︎
    20. “The Colored Orphans.” The Atlanta Journal, August 16, 1892, p. 5. ↩︎
    21. “The Colored Orphans’ Home.” The Atlanta Constitution, June 21, 1892, p. 10. ↩︎
    22. “Training The Colored Children”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 7, 1896, p. 3. ↩︎
    23. “Her Own Work.” The Atlanta Constitution, April 15, 1894, p. 23. ↩︎
    24. “Short Items Of Local Interest”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 7, 1900, p. 9. ↩︎
    25. “What The Negro Is Doing”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 11, 1900, p. 4. ↩︎
    26. “Josiah Logan, Well-Known Negro, Died Tuesday”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 16, 1904. ↩︎
    27. Scott, Stanley S. “Groundbreaking Exercises For Children’s Home Sunday”. Atlanta Daily World, February 15, 1964, p. 7. ↩︎
    28. “New Home for Carrie Steele Colored Orphanage To Be Dedicated Wednesday”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 27, 1928, p. 19 A. ↩︎
    29. Scott, Stanley S. “Groundbreaking Exercises For Children’s Home Sunday”. Atlanta Daily World, February 15, 1964, p. 7. ↩︎
    30. Carrie Steele Logan: A ‘Mother’ to Atlanta’s Orphans | Atlanta History Center ↩︎
    31. “For Negro Orphans.” The Atlanta Constitution, December 1, 1889, p. 15. ↩︎

  • Walnut Street Christian Church – Chattanooga, Tennessee (1886)

    A.C. Bruce of Bruce & Morgan. Walnut Street Christian Church (1886-1976). Chattanooga, Tennessee.
    A.C. Bruce of Bruce & Morgan. Walnut Street Christian Church (1886-1976). Chattanooga, Tennessee.1

    The Background

    The following article, published in The Chattanooga Daily Times, details the plan and construction of the Walnut Street Christian Church in Chattanooga, Tennessee, built in 1886 and designed by A.C. Bruce of Bruce & Morgan.

    The building was demolished circa 1976.

    Bruce was raised in Nashville, Tennessee, and began his practice in Knoxville, Tennessee. When he later partnered with Thomas H. Morgan in Atlanta, the firm continued to secure considerable work throughout eastern Tennessee, including, as the article notes, Chattanooga’s Hamilton County Courthouse and First Presbyterian Church, both of which were demolished.

    Location of Walnut Street Christian Church

    The design of the tidy Gothic-style church, shown in the illustration above, is typical of Bruce, who consistently struggled to balance solids and voids in his compositions. Note that the doors and windows appear just a little too large for the overall massing: Bruce frequently drew them out of scale.

    The Walnut Street Christian Church occupied this building until 1910, when the congregation moved half a block to the former First Presbyterian Church, becoming Central Christian Church.2 3

    The old Christian Church building was then sold to the local chapter of the Knights of Pythias organization, who converted it into a meeting hall.4 Based on fire maps, the structure’s original 85-foot-high steeple5 was removed at some point,6 likely during this renovation.

    In 1923, the building was sold again to the neighboring Newell Sanitarium,7 which converted it into a 10-room annex circa 1925.8

    It appears the former church—altered at least twice—remained at 709 Walnut Street9 until the construction of the neighboring Downtown General Hospital, which opened in July 1976.10 The hospital’s parking lot replaced the building.

    I won’t lie: This is a dead-boring article that reads a lot like those Old Testament books with endless lists of names and dry histories—the ones Christians pretend to read, if they read the Bible at all.

    To make it easier to find, I’ve highlighted the section on the building’s design in tasteful lavender. You’re welcome.

    The New Christian Church to be Dedicated Today.

    Handsome Brick Structure on Walnut Street Between Seventh and Eighth Streets.

    History Of The Church.

    Its Organization, Struggles, Work and Final Great Success–Full Roster of the Membership

    During the winter of 1879, A. Teachout of Cleveland, O., came to this city to spend some months, and being an earnest Christian, he sought out some men and women of his own “faith and order,” and induced them to engage with him in an effort to begin the work in this city which has culminated in their house today, and the happy and memorable occasion which will there be celebrated. Among this little band who were brave enough to make such a beginning, may be mentioned Lucius DeLong and wife, N.P. Nail, R.S. Kendrick and wife, and W.C. Carter and wife.

    Arrangements were made by them to invite Dr. W.H. Hopson, of Louisville, Ky., to preach a series of sermons in this city. Accordingly Dr. Hopson came and preached for about a week in the old Southern Methodist church, which stood at the corner of Eighth and Market, where Loveman’s new building stands. Dr. Hopson concluded his services in James Hall. In some respects, this was a notable meeting. Large crowds waited upon the preaching and the immediate results were ten accessions by obedience of the gospel: Bradford Post and wife, Fred H. Phillips, B.H. Ferguson and wife, James Nichols, Mrs. Webb and three others.

    Before leaving the city Dr. Hopson effected a temporary organization and A. Teachout was appointed Elder of the church. From the time of organization regular meeting were held in a hall or other place within their reach. The worship of God has therefore been steadily maintained ever since.

    THE SUNDAY SCHOOL

    was established about 1878. Probably its first Superintendent was Weston F. Burch, of Missouri,–a man of rare worth never to be forgotten by those who knew him. His successors in that office have W.C. Carter, G.B. Woolworth, R. W. Andrews and the present incumbent, D.W. Chase, who has brought the school to unprecedented prosperity.

    The school undertook to pay for the eight stained windows in the auditorium and will succeed. The children and the teachers of the school have paid to the building fund about $400 during the past two years besides paying their own current expenses and are ready to be among the first today to make pledge for liquidating the indebtedness. There is also a lively Mission Sunday School under the care of Charles Caldwell and Charles R. McCall, which has started during the last spring, which will bear its share of the responsibility.

    THE PREACHERS

    who have served the church have been A. Allison, Geo. W. Abell, J.R. Biggs, F.M. Hawkins, Dr. A.G. Thomas, A.S. Johnson, D.T. Beck and T.D. Butler. In a brief history such as this aims to be, many names which are entitled to honorable mention are likely to be overlooked. This is unavoidable and should not be construed by partial friends as intentional.

    The local organization of the Christian Womens’ Board of Mission, which has done a large share of the work of raising money for this new house, as it had done for the very eligible lot upon which it stands, is largely due to Mrs. G.B. Woodworth for its establishment and successful management, though no year of its existence has been crowned with such prosperity as the present, under the active and indefatigable Presidency of Mrs. Eva Wilkinson.

    The following have served the church as its Elders: A. Teachont [sic], N.P. Nail, B. Post, L.S. Barret, Isaac Strickle and G.B. Woodworth.

    The Deacons have been: L. DeLong, Fred H. Phillips, S.J. Graham, Jno. A. Graham, A.B. Phillips, W.T. Lucas, J.R. Hays, R.W. Andrews, B. Post and Geo. B. Woodworth and D.W. Chase.

    Up to the 1st of September, 1884, much had been done by this active and devoted people. They had secured the lot they now occupied and nearly paid for it, and they had made an appeal to the Home Missionary Society of the church in America to help them to sustain regular preaching. An arrangement was completed by which their present pastor, T.D. Butler, came among them, and the work at once began to advance vigorously. The new house, which is to be opened today, was started, and a systematic series of operations pursued by which financial help was received. To this end Mr. Butler has traveled much in Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Missouri, and has raised nearly $2,500 in cash, and has secured loans to the amount of $1,500 on safe and advantageous terms. In addition to this, the spiritual needs of the church have been amply supplied, and more than a hundred members added to the membership. The lot furnishes only a narrow margin beyond the walls, but the house stands 75×50 feet, with a first-class basement. Here are two rows of graceful iron columns, supported by a substantial footing of stone, and thes [sic] in turn adequately support the floor of the auditorium. We reach the main room by spacious steps, which lead into a vestibule of ample size, having a door on the right which opens into the pastor’s room–as on the left you pass into the gallery above, which has a capacity of nearly 100 people–or below into the commodious school and prayer meeting room. The auditorium is furnished with neat pews from the Excelsior Furniture Co., Cincinnati, O., and cathedral glass windows from the Robert Mitchell Furniture House, Cincinnati. Beneath the rostrum is a baptistery [sic], with all the modern appliances, and on either side are the robing rooms to be used by candidates for baptism and for other purposes. On the whole this is one of the neatest, best furnished and most convenient churches in the city.

    The plans and specifications for this church were generously donated by A.C. Bruce, Esq., of Bruce & Morgan, Architects, Atlanta, Ga.–the architect of the court house and the First Presbyterian church.

    THE CONTRACTORS.

    Stone work, Trout & Coxon; brick work, J.F. Wright; slate and galvanized iron, J.C. Banks & Co.; roof and tower, R.D. Whitice; carpenter work, W.M. Cosby and R.W. Andrews; gas fitters, Lookout Plumbing Company and plumbing by H.A. McQuade.

    The building committee has been Isaac Strickle, D.W. Chase, G.B. Woodworth, R.W. Andrews, W.M. Cosby and John A. Graham.

    The Trustees are Lucius Delong, President; D.W. Chase, Secretary and Treasurer; Bradford Post, G.B. Woodworth, M.M. Caldwell.

    The present organization of the church is: Thomas D. Butler, Pastor; Official Board, G.B. Woodworth, Chairman; B. Post, D.W. Chase, John A. Graham, A. B. Phillips, W.M. Cosby, L. DeLong, G.M. King, J.T. Lynn.

    [LIST OF CHURCH MEMBERS — too long and boring to repeat here.]11

    References

    1. “The New Christian Church to be Dedicated Today.” The Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), August 8, 1886, p. 8. ↩︎
    2. “Dr. Boswell In His New Pulpit”. The Chattanooga News (Chattanooga, Tennessee), January 3, 1910, p. 2. ↩︎
    3. “Reasons For Their Faith”. The Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), January 3, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
    4. “New Home Of Keystone Lodge”. The Chattanooga News (Chattanooga, Tennessee), January 8, 1910, Magazine Section, p. 4. ↩︎
    5. Image 9 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. | Library of Congress ↩︎
    6. Image 42 of Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Chattanooga, Hamilton County, Tennessee. | Library of Congress ↩︎
    7. “Knights Of Pythias Give Up Old Home”. Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), March 24, 1923, p. 1. ↩︎
    8. “Newell Sanitarium To Increase Capacity”. Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), December 10, 1925, p. 9. ↩︎
    9. Rothberger Directory Company’s Chattanooga, Tennessee City Directory 1960. Chattanooga, Tennessee: Rothberger Directory Company (1960). ↩︎
    10. “In Tennessee”. Bristol Herald-Courier (Bristol, Tennessee), July 11, 1976, p. 1. ↩︎
    11. “The New Christian Church to be Dedicated Today.” The Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, Tennessee), August 8, 1886, p. 8. ↩︎

  • Swift Specific Company – Atlanta (1883-1956)

    Edmund G. Lind. Swift Specific Company (1883-1956). Atlanta.
    Edmund G. Lind. Swift Specific Company (1883-1956). Atlanta.1

    The Background

    The following article was published in The Atlanta Constitution in 1883, and despite its title—”New Atlanta Buildings”—the article discusses a single structure: the laboratory of the Swift Specific Company, designed by E.G. Lind (1829-1909).2

    Blurring the line between news and advertisement, the article essentially served as a promotion for the Atlanta-based manufacturer of the “S.S.S.” tonic, a cure-all elixir sold across the United States and Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

    The company still exists, and the product is still manufactured in Atlanta, so I won’t be too disparaging. Suffice it to say, when an unregulated medicinal tonic is billed as the “Great Blood Remedy of the Age,” claiming to cure everything from sores, ulcers, and boils to eczema, rheumatism, blood diseases,3 and—oh, yes—syphilis,4 there’s room to be skeptical.

    Typical of Atlanta, the tonic also has a shady and convoluted backstory. The recipe for the remedy was reportedly offered by members of the Muscogee Nation to Irwin Dennard of Perry, Georgia, in 1826. Dennard later sold the formula to Charles T. Swift, who formed a company to manufacture the product, relocating it to Atlanta in 1873.5

    Humphries & Norrman were initially reported as the designers of the company’s factory in 1883,6 but all evidence indicates E.G. Lind designed the completed building. Lind’s own project list includes the factory,7 and one of the company’s directors was J.W. Rankin, a repeat client of Lind’s and a member of the building committee for Atlanta’s Central Presbyterian Church, which Lind also designed.8

    Lind’s records indicate that the project cost was $12,000,9 but the company claimed it totaled over $30,000 with machinery.10

    Location of Swift Specific Company

    The three-story brick factory was built on the northeast corner of Hunter and South Butler Streets (later Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SE and Jesse Hill, Jr. Drive SE), bordering the Georgia Railroad.

    Then located on the edge of the city, the site was surrounded by a low-rent district of shanties and small factories, but was also two blocks from the central freight depot—ideal for distribution.

    In advertisements from the 1880s and 1890s, the company often touted its proximity to the Georgia State Capitol, located one block west of the factory. The Fulton County Jail was later built next door to the facility, but they never mentioned that in their marketing.

    Considering the company’s constant promotion in the Atlanta press, it’s surprisingly difficult to find any articles that discuss the development of its property after 1883.

    At some point between 1899 and 1911, the factory appears to have doubled in size.11 12 My best guess is that the expansion took place circa 1902, after the company bought an adjoining lot on Hunter Street in 1901.13 Who the designer of the addition was is unclear— Lind left Atlanta in 1893 and retired from practice.

    Later renamed the S.S.S. Company, the factory continued operating at the same location until circa 1956-57, when the entire area was acquired and cleared for the construction of the I-75/85 Downtown Connector.14 15 The site is now occupied by an exit ramp.

    “New Buildings In Atlanta.”

    New Laboratory Of The Swift Specific Co.

    Now being erected corner Hunter and Butler streets, one block below the City Hall, one hundred feet long, eighty feet
    wide–three stories and cellar.

    We give a drawing of the new Laboratory of The Swift Specific Company now being built corner Hunter and Butler streets. This will be a handsome building, an ornament to that part of the city, and is not only an evidence of the thrift and growth of Atlanta, but is a most substantial proof the confidence of the proprietors of this extraordinary remedy in its merit, and the permanent business of its manufacture and sale. In fact, they know so well that their remedy is all they claim for it, they have no hesitation in investing twenty to forty thousand dollars in substantial buildings and improved machinery for its manufacture. They will have in their new Laboratory at [sic] 30-horse power engine, two boilers, ten immense steam tight percolators, a large mill for grinding the roots, a powerful press of two tons to the inch for extracting the juices, besides numerous bottle washing and bottle filling machines. Taken as a whole, it will be, when finished, one of the most complete Laboratories in America, and will be superintended by a practical Pharmacist and Chemist of 25 years experience.

    Since Swift’s Specific has come into general use as a health tonic, the demand has increased so rapidly and largely that the Company have had difficulty in keeping up the supply, but now they expect to be prepared for all emergencies, as their capacity will be, after October 1st, over a million dollars a year.

    Letters From the People.

    A Marvelous Cure.

    From the Memphis Appeal, August 1.

    To the Editors of the Appeal: Noticing in your paper where S.S.S. had effected a cure in an aggravated case of scrofula, I have concluded to give My experience with the remedy mentioned. Some time ago I was afflicted with a very stubborn case of eczema; at the time I was living in Philadelphia. It got worse and worse, until my face and other portions of my body were covered with a mass of running sores. I visited my family physician, and after being under his care for a long time without any relief he turned me over to Prof. Duffing, a noted expert on skin diseases, and after swallowing a barrel of medicine prescribed by him without giving me any relief, I consulted with several other professional experts with a like success. I was miserable, and despaired of a cure. Being very skeptical in regard to the effect of patent medicines, I had as yet not tried any, but being advised by many people I commenced at the top of the list of patient remedies for eczema, ectyma, mentagra and other skin affectations, and I think I tried them all, still however, without doing me any good. I had heard of S.S.S., and although I had been repeatedly advised by my friends to try it, still as each remedy failed in producing the desired result, and as with each failure my skepticism increased, I refused to take it until in utter desperation I concluded to give it a trial as a last resort, not believing, however, it would have a beneficial effect. But to my surprise, after taking several bottles, I noticed a decided improvement, and when I had finished the fifth bottle I shouted hurrah, for my skin was without a blemish, as fair and smooth as possible. I write this in the interest of anyone that may be afflicted likewise, and now I swear by S.S.S.

    DRUMMER.


    P.S.–I would be pleased to correspond with anyone that is interested, and give them full details.

    Address “DRUMMER,”
    Care Memphis Appeal16

    References

    1. Photo credit: Atlanta in 1890: “The Gate City”. Atlanta: The Atlanta Historical Society, Inc. (1986), p. 35. ↩︎
    2. “Summary Of The Week.” The American Architect and Building News, Volume 14, no. 408 (October 20, 1883), p. 191. ↩︎
    3. “Swift’s Specific” (advertisement). The Atlanta Constitution, February 18, 1883, p. 10. ↩︎
    4. “Important Reduction In Price Of Swift’s S. Specific” (advertisement). The Atlanta Constitution, October 23, 1891, p. 6. ↩︎
    5. Company Leadership Over the Years – S.S.S. Company ↩︎
    6. “How We Grow.” The Atlanta Constitution, June 10, 1883, p. 3. ↩︎
    7. Belfoure, Charles. Edmund G. Lind: Anglo-American Architect of Baltimore and the South. Baltimore, Maryland: The Baltimore Architectural Foundation (2009), p. 180. ↩︎
    8. Belfoure, p. 144. ↩︎
    9. Belfoure, p. 180. ↩︎
    10. Company advertisement. The Atlanta Constitution, December 16, 1883, p. 4. ↩︎
    11. Insurance maps of Atlanta, Georgia, 1899 / published by the Sanborn-Perris Map Co. Limited ↩︎
    12. Insurance maps, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911 / published by the Sanborn Map Company ↩︎
    13. “Property Transfers.” The Atlanta Journal, September 9, 1901, p. 5. ↩︎
    14. Hamilton, Joe. “Big Change Coming In Street Network”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 10, 1956, p. 1-C. ↩︎
    15. “Work Begins on Connector Link Sewer Project”. The Atlanta Journal, January 10, 1957, p. 25. ↩︎
    16. “New Buildings In Atlanta.” The Atlanta Constitution, August 5, 1883, p. 11. ↩︎

  • “St. Luke’s Cathedral” (1883-1906)

    G.L. Norrman. St. Luke's Cathedral (1883-1906). Atlanta.
    G.L. Norrman. St. Luke’s Cathedral (1883-1906). Atlanta.1

    The Background

    The following article was published in The Atlanta Constitution in February 1883, and celebrated the completion of one of the first major works by G.L. Norrman (1848-1909) in Atlanta: St. Luke’s Cathedral.

    Although the project was credited to the firm of Humphries & Norrman, it appears Norrman was the primary designer—the illustration included with the article is even signed in his handwriting.

    St. Luke’s Episcopal Church was founded in 1864, with its first building destroyed by the Union army in the burning of Atlanta.2

    The church’s second structure was located at the southeast corner of Spring and Walton Streets,3 but in 1882, the congregation was forced to sell the property after it failed to pay for furnishings from a local store owner, who in turn sued the church and won.4 Pay for your pews, damn it.

    Humphries & Norrman began working on plans for a new building in July 1882, although it wasn’t clear if the project would even be executed, as the church also considered moving its old structure to their new property5 at the northeast corner of Houston and Pryor Streets, just off Peachtree Street.

    Location of St. Luke’s Cathedral

    The plans were ultimately accepted, and the building of the sanctuary was quick—about four months.

    Construction had “begun only a few weeks ago” when the cornerstone was laid on October 21, 1882,6 and the first service was held in the church’s basement on Christmas Day 1882,7 although the interiors were completed in February 1883.

    The article below describes the building’s interior in exacting detail, but doesn’t say anything about its exterior, which was clad in brick and topped with a 60-foot-high steeple.8 The final cost of the project was just $5,500.9

    When the church was constructed, it was barely within the city limits and towered over the one- and two-story homes around it.

    Within ten years, Atlanta’s ever-expanding commercial district engulfed the building, and in 1892, when the church lost its cathedral designation to nearby St. Philip’s,10 the St. Luke’s sanctuary was overshadowed by the rise of its new next-door neighbor: DeGive’s Grand Opera House, a seven-story entertainment palace.

    One year later, Atlanta’s first “flatiron” structure, the three-story commercial Peck Building, designed by G.L. Norrman, was erected on a sliver of land across from St. Luke’s entrance, blocking the church’s exposure to Peachtree Street.

    In 1906, only twenty-three years after the sanctuary’s completion, St. Luke’s sold out to DeGive,11 and the congregation moved further up Peachtree Street into a new building designed by P. Thornton Marye,12 13 which still stands.

    Georgia-Pacific Center (1982), the former site of St. Luke's Cathedral. Atlanta.
    Georgia-Pacific Center (1982), the former site of St. Luke’s Cathedral. Atlanta.

    The old St. Luke’s was demolished in October 1906, with materials from the structure salvaged to build a home on Gilmer Street,14 also long since destroyed. The former church property was replaced with a block of single-level stores15 and is now the site of the Georgia-Pacific Center in Downtown Atlanta.

    After the sanctuary was demolished, “M.S” commented on the church’s move in the “Women and Society” column of The Atlanta Journal:

    “In olden times if a congregation wished to build a new church and leave the old building for the new it was looked upon by other congregations with distress and disapproval, and the next thing to giving up their religion itself. This no doubt was only sentiment; but it seems to me if we of this day would cultivate a little more of the true sentiment and love for the pure and beautiful and less of the worldlier sentimental we would live sweeter and more wholesome lives, nearer in a true sense to one another, to nature and to nature’s God.”16

    Bitch, please, this is Atlanta.

    St. Luke’s Cathedral.

    Was yesterday finished and will be opened to-day to the public, and is one of the handsomest churches in the city.

    It is located on the corner of Houston and Pryor street, facing Peachtree. The plans were drawn by Messrs. Humphreys and Norman [sic], architects. Under their personal supervision it has been built and they have reason to feel proud of it. The contractors, Messrs. Oliver and Carey, and their foreman, Mr. Edward Edge, deserve much credit for the construction. It is of the old English architecture and is much admired. The interior finish in ceiling is Georgia pine left in its natural color, all other woodwork walnut, except the pews which are ash ends and poplar seats and backs, all upright walls are plastered and will be frescoed by Messrs. Sheriden & Bro.

    The chancel furniture is being made the Gate City Planing company and will be finished within two weeks and will consist of the bishop’s chair with canopy, altar table with eight foot arch, credance table, two priest’s chairs, two priest’s stalls and kneeling desks, pulpit, two lectern, all walnut except the credence tables, which is made of Virginia pine from the old Blankford church, near Petersburg, Virginia, built in colonial days over one hundred fifty years ago.

    The chancel will be enclosed with a brass rail now being made in New York.

    The church will be lighted with gas, having one large 20 light chandelier and 12 two light brackets. The organ will be a very fine one and built by Messrs. Pilcher & Co., of Louisville, Ky. Negotiations are now progressing for its constrnction [sic]. The font will be of Tennessee marble and be located at the intersection of the aisles in the body of the church.

    A cathedral is the principal church in a diocese and is where the bishop presides and has a seat is the center of his authority.

    Atlanta is the residence of the bishop of Georgia and St. Luke’s has been built for the bishop as the cathedral

    Space forbids a more detailed description of the new church. The following sessions will be held therein commencing this morning at seven o’clock and continue during Lent:

    The Rev. Mr. Beckwith will preach to-day at 11 o’clock, and the Rev. Mr. Williams this evening at 7:30 o’clock.17

    References

    1. Illustration credit: Lyon, Elizabeth A. Atlanta Architecture: The Victorian Heritage, 1837-1918. The Atlanta Historical Society (1976), p. 43. ↩︎
    2. “St. Luke’s Church Now For Sale By Owner”. The Atlanta Journal, July 29, 1906, p. 12. ↩︎
    3. “Auction Sale of Central Property.” The Atlanta Constitution, August 6, 1882, p. 3. ↩︎
    4. “A Verdict Against a Church.” The Atlanta Constitution, June 22, 1882, p. 4. ↩︎
    5. “Real Estate and Industrial Notes.” The Atlanta Constitution, July 28, 1882, p. 7. ↩︎
    6. “The Corner-Stone”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 22, 1882, p. 6. ↩︎
    7. “St. Luke Episcopal Church To Build At Once”. The Atlanta Journal, March 9, 1906, p. 7. ↩︎
    8. Atlanta, Georgia, 1886 / published by the Sanborn Map and Publishing Co Limited ↩︎
    9. “The Building Outlook.” The Atlanta Constitution, February 1, 1883, p. 7. ↩︎
    10. “St. Luke Episcopal Church To Build At Once”. The Atlanta Journal, March 9, 1906, p. 7. ↩︎
    11. “Big Apartment House On St. Luke’s Site”. The Atlanta Journal, August 1, 1906, p. 15. ↩︎
    12. “Plans Of New St. Luke Church Completed By Architect Marye”. The Atlanta Constitution, January 12, 1906, p. 3. ↩︎
    13. “St. Luke Episcopal Church To Build At Once”. The Atlanta Journal, March 9, 1906, p. 7. ↩︎
    14. “Tearing Down Old Landmark”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 12, 1906, p. 11. ↩︎
    15. Insurance maps, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911 / published by the Sanborn Map Company ↩︎
    16. M.S. “The Passing of Old St. Luke’”. The Atlanta Journal, November 11, 1906, p. 6S. ↩︎
    17. “St. Luke’s Cathedral”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 11, 1883, p. 9. ↩︎

  • St. Philip’s Deanery (1898-1935)- Atlanta

    C. Walter Smith. St. Philip's Deanery (1898-1935). Atlanta.
    C. Walter Smith. St. Philip’s Deanery (1898-1935). Atlanta.

    The Background

    Separate from its series on model houses—but not dissimilar—The Atlanta Journal published the following article in September 1898, featuring an illustration of the “deanery” (pictured above) then being built for St. Philip’s Cathedral and designed by C. Walter Smith.

    The Episcopal Cathedral of St. Philip is as old as Atlanta, established in 1847. Its original sanctuary served as a hospital for Confederate soldiers during the Civil War and was later occupied by Federal troops, who reportedly used it as a stable and bowling alley.1 2

    The building was saved from Sherman‘s burning of Atlanta, allegedly after a priest from the nearby Catholic Shrine of the Immaculate Conception threatened to order all Catholic troops to leave the army if they torched his sanctuary. Because of St. Philip’s proximity to the Catholic church, both structures were said to be spared.3 4

    Cute story, but like most things associated with Atlanta, it’s probably bullshit.

    In reality, Sherman’s forces primarily targeted military assets and burned less than half of the city,5 which at the time was a town of 22,000 people occupying an area significantly smaller than the current Downtown district.6 You’d never know it from the way Atlantans still drone on about it, though.

    The antebellum St. Philip’s was instead destroyed by a tornado in 1878,7 8 replaced in 1882 with a Gothic-style sanctuary designed by John Moser,9 10 an Atlanta architect whose work in the city has been entirely lost to demolition.

    For more than 85 years, the church occupied a large lot in the heart of the city at the northeast corner of Washington Street and Hunter Street (later Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive SE), directly across from the state capitol.

    Mammon and racism beckoned, however, and in 1933, St. Philip’s moved 7 miles north to Buckhead,11 12 building a sprawling fortress at the intersection of Peachtree Road and Andrews Drive (a.k.a. “Jesus Junction”), where it remains cloistered today.

    Location of St. Philip’s Deanery

    Located at 16 Washington Street, the deanery designed by Smith was built next to the 1882 sanctuary,13 and by 1899 was occupied by the church’s dean, Albion W. Knight.14 No floor plan was included with the Journal‘s article, but there were still several interesting aspects about the project that can be gleaned from the illustration and description.

    • The building was ostensibly designed in the Gothic style, with drop arches and kneelered gables. However, the oval window and dentilled cornice were borrowed from the prevailing “colonial” style of the period. Smith’s eclectic composition clearly followed the lead of his former employer, G.L. Norrman, but unlike Norrman, Smith lacked the skill to blend incongruent elements into a cohesive composition.
    • Smith’s design for the deanery also broke from his predecessor in two significant ways:
      • G.L. Norrman rarely used the Gothic style and preferred the Romanesque for church projects.
      • Smith’s design for the deanery included the use of “galvanized iron ornaments”, of which Norrman was a vocal opponent. “How can you expect your child to tell the truth when you have galvanized iron columns painted in imitation of stone on your front porch?”, he wrote in 1898.15
    • The deanery was planned in a roughly “T” form with projecting front and rear wings, which Smith used frequently in his residential works. The C.D. Hurt Residence, built in 1893 in nearby Inman Park, employed a similar design. G.L. Norrman was undoubtedly the architect for that project, and I suspect Smith was also heavily involved in its creation.
    Former St. Philip's Deanery circa 1910
    Former St. Philip’s Deanery circa 191016

    The St. Philip’s deanery only housed the dean for 11 years. In 1909, construction on the first Washington Street viaduct blocked the home’s entrance, rendering it effectively unusable and leading the church to sue the city of Atlanta for damages.17

    In 1910, the city government rented the property and converted the structure into a school building to accommodate overcrowding at nearby Girls’ High School.18 19

    The condition of Atlanta’s schools at the time was abysmal, and the old deanery offered little relief. In January 1913, the Journal reported that 133 students were packed into the building, noting ominously: “If there were a fire…there would be many funerals in Atlanta homes.”20

    The same article included a rough sketch of the building’s floor plan (pictured below), which had been altered for school use but still hinted at Smith’s original design.

    Sketch of floor plan for former St. Philip's Deanery circa 1913
    Sketch of floor plan for former St. Philip’s Deanery circa 191321

    The school vacated the property in August 1913,22 and the building returned to use as the “church house”, used for meetings and community events.

    In 1916, the church’s new dean repurposed the structure to house “club rooms for working men and a school for needy boys and girls.”23 By 1917, the space was also being used as a public lunchroom by the Ladies’ Aid Society.24

    The building was apparently still intact when St. Philip’s moved to Buckhead, and was presumably demolished along with the sanctuary in 1935.25 26

    The property is now occupied by the State of Georgia’s Department of Agriculture building, completed in 1955.27

    St.. Philip's Deanery, Atlanta

    St. Philip’s New Deanery In Course of Construction

    The above cut represents the deanery of St. Philips’ cathedral, which is in process of erection on Washington street. The plans are by C. Walter Smith and the motif is gothic in design and detail.

    The building has brick walls and a granite foundation, with stone and galvanized iron ornaments.

    The interior finish is worked out in plain, rich gothic, and the woodwork is of Georgia pine, highly polished.

    The cost of the building will be about $4,000, and it will be pushed to early completion.

    The design is an attractive one and reflects credit on both the architect and the authorities who adopted it.

    The cathedral building is at the same time undergoing repairs and the appearance of the exterior of the wall will be entirely changed.28

    References

    1. “First Episcopal Church in Atlanta”. The Atlanta Journal, July 29, 1923, p. 9. ↩︎
    2. Perkerson, Medora Field. “St. Philip’s Is 85 Years Old.” The Atlanta Journal Magazine, October 30, 1932, p. 3. ↩︎
    3. “First Episcopal Church in Atlanta”. The Atlanta Journal, July 29, 1923, p. 9. ↩︎
    4. Perkerson, Medora Field. “St. Philip’s Is 85 Years Old.” The Atlanta Journal Magazine, October 30, 1932, p. 3. ↩︎
    5. The (Limited) Destruction of Atlanta – Emerging Civil War ↩︎
    6. Atlanta in the American Civil War – Wikipedia ↩︎
    7. “First Episcopal Church in Atlanta”. The Atlanta Journal, July 29, 1923, p. 9. ↩︎
    8. Perkerson, Medora Field. “St. Philip’s Is 85 Years Old.” The Atlanta Journal Magazine, October 30, 1932, p. 3. ↩︎
    9. “The New St. Philip’s Church.” The Atlanta Constitution, December 19, 1880, p. 1. ↩︎
    10. “St. Philip’s New Church.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 15, 1882, p. 11. ↩︎
    11. “St. Philip’s Cathedral Plans New Peachtree Road Building”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 15, 1933, p. 1. ↩︎
    12. “St. Philip’s Pro-Cathedral Will Be Dedicated Sunday, With Bishop Miskell Here”. The Atlanta Journal, September 9, 1933, p. 9. ↩︎
    13. Insurance maps, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911 / published by the Sanborn Map Company ↩︎
    14. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1899) ↩︎
    15. Norrman, G.L. Architecture As Illustrative of Religious Belief and as a Means of Tracing Civilization (1898) ↩︎
    16. “Home of Atlanta’s Fourth High School”. The Atlanta Journal, October 9, 1910, p. H 5. ↩︎
    17. “Church Sues City For $20,000 Damages”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 26, 1909, p. 6. ↩︎
    18. “Girls’ Business School Makes Stride Forward”. The Atlanta Journal, September 25, 1910, p. H 8. ↩︎
    19. “St. Philip’s Deanery Will Be School Soon”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 1, 1910, p. 12. ↩︎
    20. “Need Is Imperative For New High School House”. The Atlanta Journal, January 17, 1913, p. 14. ↩︎
    21. ibid. ↩︎
    22. “Old Crew St. School Will Be Used Again”. The Atlanta Constitution, July 31, 1913, p. 8. ↩︎
    23. “St. Philip’s Will Have Church School”. The Atlanta Journal, March 12, 1916, p. 7. ↩︎
    24. “The Ladies Aid of St. Philip’s Cathedral”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 21, 1917, p. 8. ↩︎
    25. “Cornerstone of Old St. Philip’s Will Be Removed to New Church.” The Atlanta Constitution, November 16, 1935, p. 3. ↩︎
    26. “St. Philip’s Cornerstone Opened”. The Atlanta Journal, November 24, 1935, Rotogravure Section. ↩︎
    27. “Agriculture Building To Be Occupied Soon”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 17, 1955, p. 20. ↩︎
    28. “St. Philip’s New Deanery In Course of Construction”. The Atlanta Journal, September 26, 1898, p. 6. ↩︎

  • “Journal Model Houses; Mr. J.B. Hightower’s New Home” (1898)

    E.T. Gibbs. J. B. Hightower Residence (1898). Inman Park, Atlanta.
    E.T. Gibbs. J. B. Hightower Residence (1898). Inman Park, Atlanta.

    The Background

    This is the final installment in a series of articles published by The Atlanta Journal in 1898 featuring illustrations and floor plans of residences designed by Atlanta architects—or, in this case, a contractor.

    The Journal was clearly scraping the bottom of the barrel here, unless the intent was to caution readers against hiring an illegitimate architect. The article highlighted the J.B. Hightower Residence, located at 55 Hurt Street1 in Atlanta’s Inman Park neighborhood, and “done” by a local contractor, E.T. Gibbs.

    Based on the illustration (pictured above), the home’s exterior was an artless mess: plain, boxy, and brick veneered with basic Colonial ornamentation tacked on, misaligned doors and windows on the front, and a mismatched roof topped by three tented peaks and an undersized dormer.

    The crudely drawn floor plans (pictured below) are equally baffling and raise multiple questions about the home’s design.

    Why, for instance, did the downstairs bathroom have a door to the back porch? Was it really necessary to give the upstairs hall and front left bedroom such awkward shapes to accommodate entry to the front right bedroom? And what the hell was the tiny “lunch room” sandwiched between the two floors?

    Location of J.B. Hightower Residence

    Gibbs was no architect, and it’s likely that he simply swiped a plan from some pattern book and modified it (badly). He was also a notorious asshole.

    In November 1909, Gibbs was arrested for assaulting his 17-year-old son in the street, with both of his sons testifying in court that he was “insane”. The trial revealed that Gibbs’s sons objected to his recent marriage to a much younger woman, 10 years after he separated from his first wife.2

    Two months later, Gibbs’ young wife sued him for disorderly conduct,3 4 then filed for divorce, citing “his constant threatening, his striking her and his threats to strike her again”.5 6 Among the allegations, the newspapers focused on one in particular: that Gibbs had locked his wife out of their bedroom for placing her cold feet against him, forcing her to sleep in the servant’s room.7 8 9

    Mrs. Gibbs said of her husband in a public statement: “He charges me with a great many things, and none of them are true, except that sometimes my feet are cold at night. I do not think this is a crime.”10 She was granted the divorce in April 1910 and awarded $25 per month for alimony.11

    In July 1911, Gibbs was sued by his neighbor, Mrs. J. N. Norris, for threatening to “beat her in the face until she couldn’t bat her eyes.”12 Later that year, Gibbs began building an 18-foot-high “spite fence” between their two houses, prompting another lawsuit and a court-ordered injunction.13 14

    During the trial in April 1912, Gibbs—who fired his lawyer and represented himself—was jailed for five days for contempt of court after declaring all lawyers as “liars, rascals and thieves” and telling the judge: “I don’t give a damn what you do.”15 16

    In late 1914, Gibbs was married to his third wife when he bought a pair of shoes from his estranged son’s shoe store, charging them to his son. When his son refused to accept the charge, Gibbs went to the store and angrily confronted him, throwing the shoes at his head.17

    In court, Gibbs launched into a tirade on the witness stand, threatening violence against his entire family, and shaking his fist at an attorney, telling him: “I’ll knock you down in a minute if you call me a liar.”18

    The spectacle landed Gibbs in jail again,19 20 with a trial held later that month to determine if he was insane.21 The jury determined he was “mentally normal,” based on the testimony of “a number of women” who cited his “honesty in business and personal dealings.”22

    Based on the plans here, I can also testify that Gibbs was an honestly terrible excuse for an architect.

    In 1901, the house at 55 Hurt Street (later 161 Hurt Street NE) was already occupied by a different owner, Robert K. King,23 24 and by 1927, it was being marketed as (what else?) a boarding house.25

    It appears to have been demolished for a four-story educational building for Inman Park Baptist Church, which completed construction at the address in 1955.26 27 No loss.

    The church sold its property to the state of Georgia in 196728 for the construction of the planned I-485 freeway, and all structures on the east side of Hurt Street were demolished for the project.

    The proposed interstate was officially killed in 1975 after widespread local protest and opposition from the mayor and city council.29 Today, the land is part of Freedom Park.

    E.T. Gibbs. J. B. Hightower Residence (1898). Inman Park, Atlanta.

    Journal Model Houses; Mr. J.B. Hightower’s New Home

    Mr. J.B. Hightower has just completed a $4,000 residence in Inman Park, and it is one of the most attractive homes in the city. The house is a good type of a combination wood and brick residence. It is claimed that is construction is better in some ways than walls entirely of brick, though it costs less.

    The foundation is of stone in front and brick elsewhere. The veranda is 12 feet wide, with an ample vestibule. The reception hall, parlor and diningroom [sic] are furnished in oak, and the other rooms in oiled pine, excepting the kitchen and pantry, which are grained to represent oak. The principal rooms have plate glass windows and the walls are finished with neat picture mold. The plumbing and electrical connections are first class and adjusted in the most convenient manner.

    The premises are provided with a barn, carriage house and servants’ quarters, and everything is completed in good style, with first class workmanship. The work was done by Mr. E.T. Gibbs, contractor and architect.30

    First floor plan of J.B. Hightower Residence
    Second floor plan for J.B. Hightower Residence

    References

    1. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1899) ↩︎
    2. “Father Was Fined For Striking Son”. The Atlanta Journal, November 15, 1909, p. 4. ↩︎
    3. “Contractor E.T. Gibbs Accused By His Wife”. The Atlanta Journal, January 29, 1910, p. 4 L. ↩︎
    4. “Says Drink And Novels Made Home Very Unhappy”. The Atlanta Journal, January 31, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
    5. “Wife Files Divorce Against E.T. Gibbs”. The Atlanta Journal, February 5, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
    6. “Mrs. Gibbs Brings Suit For Divorce”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 6, 1910, p. 6. ↩︎
    7. “Says Drink And Novels Made Home Very Unhappy”. The Atlanta Journal, January 31, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
    8. “Not A Crime To Have Cold Feet, Says Woman”. The Atlanta Journal, February 1, 1910, p. 7. ↩︎
    9. “Read Novels At Night Until She Got Cold Feet”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 1, 1910, p. 4. ↩︎
    10. ibid. ↩︎
    11. “Wife Gets Divorce And Small Alimony”. The Atlanta Journal, April 9, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
    12. “Rebuked By Neighbor For Punishing Child”. The Atlanta Constitution, July 16, 1911, p. 3. ↩︎
    13. ‘”Spite” Fence 18 Feet High Causes Suit For Injunction’. The Atlanta Constitution, December 21, 1911, p. 8. ↩︎
    14. ‘Seeks To Stop “Spite” Fence’. The Atlanta Constitution, December 22, 1911, p. 13. ↩︎
    15. “Acting As Attorney, Gibbs Abuses Lawyers”. The Atlanta Journal, April 30, 1912, p. 28. ↩︎
    16. “Kicks Up Rumpus In Court, Is Sent To Jail”. The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), May 1, 1912, p. 3. ↩︎
    17. “Contractor In Court, Hurls Abuse At Family”. The Atlanta Journal, November 5, 1914, p. 1. ↩︎
    18. ibid. ↩︎
    19. ibid. ↩︎
    20. “Father Sent To Jail At Instance Of Son”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 6, 1914, p. 10. ↩︎
    21. “Is Contractor Crazy?” The Columbus Ledger (Columbus, Georgia), November 24, 1914, p. 4. ↩︎
    22. “Man’s Honesty Is Proof Of Mental Soundness”. The Atlanta Constitution, November 24, 1914, p. 4. ↩︎
    23. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1901) ↩︎
    24. “C.S. King Dies Suddenly Today Of Heart Failure”. The Atlanta Journal, June 17, 1902, p. 7. ↩︎
    25. “Rentals”. The Atlanta Journal, August 24, 1927, p. 29. ↩︎
    26. “Inman Park Pastor Ending Third Year”. The Atlanta Journal, April 9, 1955, p. 4. ↩︎
    27. Barre, Laura. “Inman Park Baptists To Dedicate Building”. The Atlanta Journal, December 10, 1955, p. 10. ↩︎
    28. “Inman Park Baptists Will Hold Homecoming”. The Atlanta Journal, August 12, 1967, p. 6. ↩︎
    29. Nordan, David. “FHA Sounds Death Knell For Ballhooed I-485”. The Atlanta Journal, April 22, 1975, p. 6-A. ↩︎
    30. “Journal Model Houses; Mr. J.B. Hightower’s New Home”. The Atlanta Journal, June 11, 1898, p. 8. ↩︎

  • “Journal Model Houses; Residence of Mr. George Wade” (1898)

    C. Walter Smith. George Wade Residence (1898). West End, Atlanta.
    C. Walter Smith. George Wade Residence (1898). West End, Atlanta.

    The Background

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

    The article highlights the George Wade Residence, designed by C. Walter Smith, who served for many years as a draughtsman and later chief assistant to G.L. Norrman,1 2 before successfully establishing his own firm in 1896.3

    The Wade home’s floor plan hints at how much Smith was responsible for designing Norrman’s residences—I suspect it was quite a bit.

    There isn’t much to criticize about the plan: Smith crafted a solid layout with four rooms on each floor clustered around a central stair hall. Each bedroom included a closet, and the second floor contained a standard “trunk room” and dressing room, as seen in previous plans in this series.

    Two oddities were the tiny den tacked onto the back of the reception hall, and the massive dining room with an interior wall that awkwardly jutted out into the stairs hall.

    Location of the George Wade Residence

    As noted in the article, the Wade House was designed in the nebulous “colonial” style of the 1890s, which, in this case, consisted primarily of dentilled cornices and festoons on the friezes and porch pediment.

    Festoons were Smith’s signature element—you can find them in nearly all of his surviving buildings, as well as many of G.L. Norrman’s works from Smith’s time in his employ.

    Also note the tapered chimneys, which were incorporated into numerous Norrman projects from the late 1880s to mid-1890s, again indicating the level of Smith’s involvement in Norrman’s firm.

    Still, Norrman must have guided those designs with a fairly heavy hand, because Smith’s solo work lacked the panache of his mentor, and you can clearly see the limits of his ability in the Wade House illustration (pictured above).

    Whereas Norrman consistently produced refined and cohesive compositions, Smith’s buildings often appeared boxy and plain with clumsy touches of embellishment—the Wade design is a prime example.

    Located at 341 Gordon Street (later 249, then 1097 Gordon Street SW) in Atlanta’s West End, the home was occupied by the Wade family for only three years.

    Wade moved to Cedartown, Georgia, circa 1899,4 where he established a knitting mill that manufactured ladies’ underwear.5 Smith subsequently designed Wade’s home in Cedartown6 7— which still stands, along with an additional knitting mill,8 which does not.

    Former George Wade Residence circa 1914
    Former George Wade Residence circa 19149

    The former Wade home was occupied for many years by Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Beauprie. Mr. Beauprie died in the home in January 1922,10 while his wife, Carrie E. Beauprie, died in the home over 10 years later, in June 1932.11

    The exact date of the home’s demolition is unclear, but in 1957, a newspaper classified ad said of the property: “Owner Leaving State SACRIFICE FOR QUICK SALE”, noting its commercial zoning and a location “Right in the path of progress.”12 By 1960, the site was occupied by—what else?—a gas station.13

    C. Walter Smith. George Wade Residence (1898). West End, Atlanta.

    Journal Model Houses; Residence of Mr. George Wade

    The above cut shows a perspective view of Mr. George Wade’s house on Gordon street, at the corner of Lawton, in West End. It was built 18 months ago from the plans of Mr. Walter Smith of Atlanta, and is one of the prettiest and most comfortable homes in the city. Every inch of space is utilized, and the house is rich in closets and all kinds of conveniences.

    The design of the modern colonial type and the picture shows how it is worked out. The construction is very thorough. The walls are double and the floors are double, with tarred felt between. The interior finish downstairs is antique oak with the exception of the parlor, the sitting room and the den. The parlor is in white enamel, the den in red oak, and the sitting room in curly pine.

    Ground floor plan of George Wade Residence, Atlanta

    There is a very attractive arrangement of the entrance, reception hall, stair hall and parlor. The reception hall, parlor and sitting room can be thrown together or completely separated by the sliding doors.

    The second floor is natural pine, cabinet finish. The floors are waxed and polished. The windows are fitted with inside blinds and the house is equipped with electric bells, gas lighting and door openers. There are cabinet mantels in every room and in the hall and the stair hall is separated from the reception hall by pretty grill work, and the stairs are finished in antique oak. The foundation is a solid wall, and there is a good brick basement with a furnace room.

    The plumbing is the best and thoroughly ventilated. The workmanship throughout is first class and the house is a gem. It cost when built $5,240, and can be duplicated for about $5,000. The painting is in the prevailing colonial colors.14

    Second floor plan of George Wade Residence, Atlanta

    References

    1. “A Card”. The Atlanta Constitution, March 1, 1893, p. 10. ↩︎
    2. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1894) ↩︎
    3. “Out For Himself.” The Atlanta Constitution, April 19, 1896, p. 20. ↩︎
    4. “Loitering In The Lobbies”. The Atlanta Journal, February 6, 1899, p. 10. ↩︎
    5. “The Wahneta Mills.” The Macon Telegraph, January 2, 1899, p. 8. ↩︎
    6. The Cedartown Standard (Cedartown, Georgia), August 30, 1900, p. 2. ↩︎
    7. “Improvements At Cedartown”. The Atlanta Constitution, September 15, 1900, p. 4. ↩︎
    8. The Cedartown Standard (Cedartown, Georgia), August 16, 1900, p. 3. ↩︎
    9. “Scenes and Streets of Homes in West End”. The Atlanta Journal, August 23, 1914, p. 8H. ↩︎
    10. “Mr. W.R. Beauprie, Well Known in Atlanta, To Be Buried Sunday”. The Atlanta Constitution, January 14, 1922, p. 10. ↩︎
    11. “Fall Injuries Fatal To Mrs. C.E. Beauprie”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 5, 1932, p. 10A. ↩︎
    12. “Business Property 165”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 21, 1957, p. 27. ↩︎
    13. “100 Extra Gold Bond Stamps!” (advertisement). The Atlanta Constitution, June 16, 1960, p. 29. ↩︎
    14. “Journal Model Houses; Residence of Mr. George Wade”. The Atlanta Journal, February 12, 1898, p. 10. ↩︎

  • E.C. Merry Residence (1893)

    G.L. Norrman.E.C. Merry Residence (1893). West End, Atlanta.
    G.L. Norrman. E.C. Merry Residence (1893). West End, Atlanta.

    The Background

    The following article, published in The Atlanta Journal in 1898, includes illustrations and floor plans of the E.C. Merry House, built in 1893 and designed by G.L. Norrman.

    Located at 144 Lee Street (later 510 Lee Street SW), the five-year-old home in Atlanta’s West End neighborhood was owned by Ovid Stewart at the time of the article.

    Location of the E.C Merry Residence

    In 1890, the home’s original owner, E.C. Merry, became the principal of the West End Academy,1 located one block away. Humphries & Norrman designed the school’s original structure in 1883, but for whatever reason, Bruce & Morgan were selected to design its expansion in 1890.2

    Norrman was primarily an architect of large residences, and it appears he gave up smaller projects entirely by the late 1890s, so it’s a genuine treat to have an illustration and floor plan for this charming eight-room cottage.

    There are a few interesting aspects here:

    • The plan is described as “simplicity itself”, and that’s no exaggeration: No bathroom was included, and it’s unclear if the home was even wired for electricity—with a total cost of $1,770, it probably wasn’t.
    • The Journal’s description describes the home’s “quaint, homelike Quaker suit”, and it appears the home was at least partially inspired by the vernacular architecture of colonial New England, much like Norrman’s design for the C.D. Hurt Residence the same year. I prefer this interpretation.
    • Norrman packed in several signature touches here: tapered chimneys, an eyebrow dormer on the front, Tuscan columns on the porch, and a balustrade and finials on the roof.

    The home still belonged to Ovid Stewart when it was “badly burned” by a fire in February 1909,3 4 although it was swiftly repaired.5 6 Within a year, the property was occupied by Mrs. Stewart’s brother and sister-in-law, L.B. Langford and E.E. Langford,7 who spent $1,350 in additions8—nearly as much as the home originally cost.

    The Stewarts divorced in 1912,9 and after the death of Mrs. Langford in April 1914,10 11 followed by her husband in September 1916,12 13 the home became a rental property.14

    Based on city directories, the structure survived another 42 years, meeting the same fate as thousands of other historic properties in Atlanta when the home was apparently demolished circa 1958 for the construction of the East-West Expressway (now I-20).15

    Today, the site is occupied by the eastbound ramp from Lee Street. Progress!

    G.L. Norrman. E.C. Merry Residence (1893). West End, Atlanta.

    Journal’s Model Houses; Home of Mr. Ovid Stewart

    The accompanying cuts give the perspective and floor plan of Mr. Ovid Stewart’s pretty cottage on Lee street at the corner of Oak, in West End. It was built by Mr. E.C. Merry in 1893 from the plan of Mr. G.L. Norrman at a cost of $1,770, but could be duplicated now for about $1,400. It is a fine example of the grace and beauty to be found in a simple design when the skill of the architect is bestowed upon it. The plan is simplicity itself, and in a form to be the least expensive in proportion to results attained.

    The floor plan shows the arrangement. This can be varied slightly without material difference in the cost, but care will have to be taken in changing it, for one of the chief beauties in the plan is in the adjustment of proportionate dimensions.

    The construction is thorough and the cottage is exceedingly comfortable. It rests on a solid wall and has double walls and floors. It is painted gray, with white trimmings, which gives it a quaint, homelike Quaker suit.16

    Floor plan of the E.C. Merry Residence, Atlanta

    References

    1. “To Teach In West End.” The Atlanta Constitution, August 9, 1890, p. 8. ↩︎
    2. “The New Academy Building.” The Atlanta Constitution, November 2, 1890, p. 24. ↩︎
    3. “Twelve Fires Within A Day”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 2, 1909, p. 5. ↩︎
    4. “Nine Fire Calls Answered Monday”. The Atlanta Semi-Weekly Journal, February 2, 1909, p. 1. ↩︎
    5. “Personal Mention”. The Atlanta Journal, February 14, 1909, p. H5. ↩︎
    6. “Building Permits”. The Atlanta Journal, February 19, 1909, p. 14. ↩︎
    7. “Mortuary”. The Atlanta Constitution, August 15, 1910, p. 5. ↩︎
    8. “Building Permits”. The Atlanta Journal, September 15, 1910, p. 13. ↩︎
    9. “Notice Notice Notice”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 9, 1912, p. 13. ↩︎
    10. “Deaths and Funerals”. The Atlanta Journal, April 17, 1914, p. 2. ↩︎
    11. “Mortuary”. The Atlanta Constitution, April 18, 1914, p. 2. ↩︎
    12. “Deaths and Funerals”. The Atlanta Constitution, September 1, 1916, p. 2. ↩︎
    13. “Mortuary”. The Atlanta Constitution, September 2, 1916, p. 2. ↩︎
    14. “For Rent–Houses”. The Atlanta Journal, November 20, 1916, p. 17. ↩︎
    15. “Here’s Route Of New East-West Expressway”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, March 23, 1958, p. 1-E. ↩︎
    16. “Journal Model House; Home of Mr. Ovid Stewart” The Atlanta Journal, February 5, 1898, p. 9. ↩︎

  • Paul Romare Residence (1892)

    G.L. Norrman. Paul Romare Residence (1892, demolished before 1926). Atlanta.
    G.L. Norrman. Paul Romare Residence (1892, demolished before 1926). Atlanta.1

    The Background

    The following article, published by The Atlanta Journal in 1898, includes an illustration and floor plans of the Paul Romare Residence, built in 1892 and designed by G.L. Norrman.2 3

    Like Norrman, Paul Romare (1828-1904,4 pictured here5)was also a Swedish immigrant.

    Although Romare was 20 years older than Norrman,6 it appears the two men were close friends, as Norrman planned at least four projects for the Romare family over 21 years and also served as an honorary escort at Romare’s funeral.7 8

    Romare and Norrman’s Connection

    Romare began working at the Atlanta National Bank circa 1865 and steadily rose through the ranks, ultimately becoming the bank’s president in 1903.9 10 Like Norrman, he was also prominent in Atlanta society, and both men were members of the Capital City Club.11

    Only 41 Atlantans in the 1890s were from Scandinavia,12 so Norrman and Romare likely bonded over their common heritage, if nothing else. However, the two men’s lives had many striking parallels.

    Like Norrman, Romare was born and raised in southern Sweden, and both men became sailors: Romare left home at age 14 to serve as a cabin boy on a merchant ship captained by his father.

    As a young man, Norrman reportedly left the Swedish Navy shortly after he quarreled with an officer. When Romare was 18, he abandoned ship after a fight with the captain, hiding in a friend’s closet in New York to evade the captain’s search.

    Romare eventually immigrated to the United States through Charleston, South Carolina. From 1850 to 1864, he lived and worked in the Upcountry, including the towns of Gaffney and Chester, both of which were a short distance from Spartanburg, where Norrman began his practice a decade later.

    Romare, incidentally, was apparently pronounced as “ROAM-a-ree”. And did I mention he secretly fathered a son with a Black woman in South Carolina?13

    That was likely unknown in Atlanta, where Romare’s wife, Lucy, and their six daughters were popular social fixtures.

    G.L. Norrman. Paul Romare Residence (1892, demolished before 1926). Illustration by W.L. Stoddart.
    G.L. Norrman. Paul Romare Residence (1892, demolished before 1926). Illustration by W.L. Stoddart.14

    About the Residence

    The house shown here was the second Norrman-designed residence for Romare and was built at 17 East North Avenue,15 on what is now the site of the Bank of America Plaza in Midtown Atlanta.

    Location of Paul Romare Residence

    However, the home was long gone before Bank of America, demolished between 1923 and 1925,16 17 18 and replaced by a car dealership in 1926.19 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 on a reception hall with a fireplace, an evolution of the living hall concept Norrman used in the 1880s, 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 two full bathrooms in the Romare house—one per floor. The first-floor bathroom was connected to both the main bedroom and the stair hall, apparently so guests could use it.
    • 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 three of the five bedrooms, undoubtedly designed for Romare’s wife and 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.

    The Romare house was one of the better works from a short-lived period in Norrman’s career, circa 1892-1893, when he became particularly audacious and avant-garde in his residential designs, freely mixing classical, Colonial, Romanesque, and Palladian elements in striking combinations.

    The approach didn’t always work—the C.D. Hurt Residence, for example, is an unholy mess—but it’s clear Norrman put his best effort into the Romare Residence, and the results speak for themselves. Vacker som en dag!

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

    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.20

    First story plan of Paul Romare Residence, Atlanta
    Second story plan of Paul Romare Residence, Atlanta

    References

    1. Photo credit: Atlanta Homes: Attractiveness of Residences in the South’s Chief City. Atlanta Presbyterian Publishing Company (1901). ↩︎
    2. “The Home Builders”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 20, 1892, p. 8. ↩︎
    3. “My, How We Do Grow!” The Atlanta Constitution, September 21, 1892, p. 4. ↩︎
    4. “Paul Romare, Financier, Dead After Long Illness”. The Atlanta Journal, February 8, 1904, p. 2. ↩︎
    5. Photo credit: City of Atlanta: A Descriptive, Historical and Industrial Review. Louisville, Kentucky: The Inter-State Publishing Company (1893), p. 74. ↩︎
    6. “Mr. Paul Romare.” The Atlanta Constitution, February 12, 1893, p. 7. ↩︎
    7. “Funeral Notice.” The Atlanta Journal, February 9, 1904, p. 11. ↩︎
    8. “Romare To Rest In West View”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 9, 1904, p. 5. ↩︎
    9. “New President Will Be Romare”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 9, 1903, p. 6. ↩︎
    10. “Romare Made President Of Bank”. The Atlanta Journal, May 10, 1903, p. 1. ↩︎
    11. “The Club Reception.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 19, 1887, p. 2. ↩︎
    12. Mebane, Anne Fonvielle. (1967). Immigrant Patterns in Atlanta, 1880 and 1896 [Master’s thesis, Emory University], p. 48. ↩︎
    13. Historic Joplin » Paul Romare ↩︎
    14. Illustration credit: The Southern Architect, Volume 10, no. 11, September 1899, p. 10. ↩︎
    15. Insurance maps, Atlanta, Georgia, 1911 / published by the Sanborn Map Company ↩︎
    16. “Four Apartment Houses Purchased By Manget; Over $100,000 Involved”. The Atlanta Journal, January 26, 1923, p. 36. ↩︎
    17. “Atlanta Title And Trust Company Publishes Comprehensive Summary Of Atlanta Real Estate Information”. The Atlanta Journal, May 13, 1923, 8F. ↩︎
    18. “Property Transfers”. The Atlanta Journal, January 25, 1925, p. 8F. ↩︎
    19. “Contract Is Signed For $600,000 Home For Motor Agency”. The Atlanta Journal, January 7, 1926, p. 1. ↩︎
    20. “Journal’s Model Houses; Home of Paul Romare”. The Atlanta Journal, January 29, 1898, p. 10. ↩︎

  • “Journal Model Homes; Residence of Miss Susie Wells” (1898)

    Butt & Morris. Susie Wells Residence (1898-1913). Atlanta.
    Butt & Morris. Susie Wells Residence (1898-1913). Atlanta.

    The Background

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

    The article was published in January 1898 and featured the Susie Wells Residence, designed by Butt & Morris, an architectural duo consisting of James W. Butt and Marshall F. Morris.

    Butt established his practice in Atlanta in 1893,1 and Morris apparently joined in 1896.2

    Location of Susie Wells Residence

    Scant information is available about either Butt or Morris, and little of the firm’s work survives in Atlanta. While they appeared to enjoy some success in the late 1890s and early 1900s, their last newspaper mention was in 1905,3 and the partnership seems to have disbanded circa 1909.4 5

    There’s also nothing to indicate that Butt & Morris were good designers: city building permits reveal that most of their work consisted of modest, inexpensive homes and buildings, and illustrations and plans of their designs suggest a distinct lack of talent.

    Consider the plans here, which include an awkwardly shaped lavatory tacked onto the first floor, a baffling hall design on the second floor, and oddly-shaped closets shoved into the corners of the bedrooms, among other poor choices.

    Located at the southwest corner of Whitehall and McDaniel Street in what is now Atlanta’s Mechanicsville neighborhood, the Wells home didn’t survive 15 years.

    Wells rented out the house following the death of her mother in January 19066 7 and then sold it in early 1913,8 when it was replaced by a one-story brick auto garage.9 10 That’s Atlanta for ya.

    Butt & Morris. Susie Wells Residence (1898-1913). Atlanta.

    Journal Model Homes; Residence of Miss Susie Wells

    The accompanying cuts represent one of the handsomest seven-room houses in the city. It was built for Miss Susie Walters at 446 Whitehall Street last summer, and was completed in the early fall at an actual cost of $2,500. It is in design and finish one of the most attractive houses ever built in Atlanta at this price, and the arrangement is exceedingly convenient.

    The foundation is a solid brick wall, and the chimneys are of ample size and well built. The timber is select pine and sized to make even walls. The roof is of shingles, painted black, and has the appearance of a slate roof. The floors are double and storm-sheeting underlies the weather-boarding. The interior finish is select pine of natural color in hard oil.

    First floor plan of the Susie Wells Residence, Atlanta

    The arrangement of the reception hall, parlor and dining room is exceedingly convenient and attractive, and a very pretty grill work separates the reception hall from the stair hall, as will be seen in the illustration. The doors are select pine veneered, showing no joints, and between the reception hall and dining room there are sliding doors.

    The fire places on the lower floor are furnished with club-house grates, tile hearths, and cabinet oak mantels.

    Upstairs the finish is the same with the exception of mirrors above the mantels. Down stairs, in addition to the halls, dining room, parlor and kitchen, there is an ample pantry, conveniently fitted up with bins and shelves, and a well arranged butler’s pantry with sink. There is a lavoratory [sic] down stairs and up stairs a complete bath room with porcelain-lined bath tub. The plumbing is of the best quality, both in material and workmanship. The three chambers up stairs are connected and each has an ample closet.

    At the end of the upper hall there is a large linen closet. The ascent from the first to the second story is by very pretty stairs with a graceful landing divided from the front hall by grill work, as indicated.

    The hardware is of fine quality, all the way through, and the finish is old copper. The gas fixtures are furnished with electric lighting apparatus and a complete system of electric bells extends through the house.

    The painting is three coat work outside and in, and is first class in material and workmanship. The outside is painted in canary, trimmed in white, a very pretty combination. The house is situated on a large lot, at the corner of Whitehall and McDaniel streets, and has attracted much attention.

    The perspective view is taken from the northwest, and shows a very pretty veranda in front of the house. The first and second story floor plans, also represented by illustrations, fully explain themselves.

    The house was designed for Miss Wells by Butt & Morris, of Atlanta.11

    Second floor plan of the Susie Wells Residence, Atlanta

    References

    1. “Removal.” The Atlanta Constitution, September 10, 1893, p. 16. ↩︎
    2. “Butt & Morris, Architects”. (advertisement), The Atlanta Journal, May 30, 1896, p. 10. ↩︎
    3. “Advertisement for Bids for Construction of Stable at the Dumping Grounds.” The Atlanta Constitution, May 16, 1905, p. 15. ↩︎
    4. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1908) ↩︎
    5. Atlanta City Directory Co.’s Greater Atlanta (Georgia) city directory (1909) ↩︎
    6. “Mrs. Eleanor M. Wells Dies Monday Morning”. The Atlanta Journal, January 8, 1906, p. 9. ↩︎
    7. “For Rent–Houses.” The Atlanta Constitution, January 17, 1906, p. 12. ↩︎
    8. “Property Transfers.” The Atlanta Constitution, February 2, 1913, p. 8. ↩︎
    9. “Building Permits”. The Atlanta Journal, November 5, 1912, p. 17. ↩︎
    10. “Atlanta’s Strides From Day To Day”. The Atlanta Constitution, December 17, 1913, p. 13. ↩︎
    11. “Journal Model Homes; Residence of Miss Susie Wells” The Atlanta Journal, January 22, 1898, p. 11. ↩︎