Monastery at Large

Category: Atlanta

In the Words of G.L. Norrman: On Architecture, Again (1892)
G.L. Norrman. Edgewood Avenue Grammar School. Inman Park, Atlanta (1892).

The Background

The following remarks by G.L. Norrman were included in a biographical sketch titled “An Educated Architect”, published in the December 17, 1892, edition of The Atlanta Journal.

Norrman’s remarks:

“I prefer the classic for libraries, school houses, courthouses and all buildings of an educational character, as most proper. For depots and hotels any style will do, but I prefer the Romanesque for depots and the renaissance for hotels and homes as being more homelike and less business like in appearance. Churches I like Romanesque because the growth of the church and that style of architecture are so closely identified.

“The so-called ‘colonial style’ of the old southern mansions is renaissance so far as the builders were able to carry that style in those olden days, and it has recently come again into popular favor because of the sentiment that clings about those honored halls.”¹

References
1. “An Educated Architect.” The Atlanta Journal, December 17, 1892, p. 9. ↩︎
April 16, 2025
Joseph Amisano Residence (1969) – Atlanta
Joseph Amisano of Tombs, Amisano & Wells. Joseph Amisano Residence (1969). Buckhead, Atlanta.¹ ² ³

Joseph Amisano Residence, Atlanta

References
1. 1970 American Architects Directory ↩︎
2. “Egleston Tour Scheduled”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, April 4, 1971, p. 17-G. ↩︎
3. Storied property called Atlanta’s first modern home up for grabs | Urbanize Atlanta ↩︎
April 10, 2025
Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts (2025) – Atlanta

Studio Gang with Goode Van Slyke Architecture. Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts (2025). Atlanta.

There’s little architecture of merit in Atlanta: the city’s leaders have long despised passion and imagination, their minds too addled by the pursuit of power, oppression, and the illusion of status to spark creative inclination.

Instead, Atlanta consistently copies the architectural designs of better cities, usually a decade or more after the fact, inevitably making cheap, watered-down imitations drawn by second-rate firms.

Thus, it’s a genuine surprise when the city actually produces a building that warrants a second look, but here’s one: the new Center for Innovation & the Arts at Spelman College.

West facade of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Spelman is a historically Black college for women, and the project was fittingly designed by Studio Gang of Chicago—founded by Jeanne Gang—with Goode Van Slyke Architecture—a Black-owned firm based in Atlanta—as associate architect.

Like all feeble and flimsy constructs of man, architecture is gasping its last self-important breaths, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult for designers to disguise that their job is, at its essence, to make decorative boxes for people to cower and shit in.

Those who can pull off the ruse with ingenuity and style, however, deserve recognition, and the designers of this project have done a fine job. Look beneath the building’s exoskeleton, and you’ll find a fairly standard, four-story, 84,000-square-foot box.

What gives the building panache are the metal sunshades and screens on its upper floors, which the Studio Gang site describes as “tuned to the angles of the sun”. OK, sure.

Southwest corner of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

With two recessed porches on the north and south sides and an open space atop the southwest corner, the building gives the faint impression of floating in the sky. It’s particularly stunning at dusk when the falling light deepens the orange and brown palette.

The design recalls work by Philip Freelon, notably the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Studio Gang has made more interesting and, well, innovative buildings elsewhere, but for Atlanta, this is about as wild and daring an architectural design as you’ll find.

Gallery

Looking at Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts from the northwest

Windows and a balcony on the north facade of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Sunshades on the southwest corner of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Windows and sunshades on the north facade of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Windows and sunshades on the west facade of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Looking at a balcony on the southwest corner of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Sunshades and windows on the southwest corner of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Looking at the northwest corner of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

Looking toward the north entrance of Spelman College Center for Innovation & the Arts, Atlanta

April 6, 2025
Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion (1991) – Atlanta
Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart & Associates. Atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion (1991). Midtown, Atlanta.¹ ²

Atlanta’s overall architectural quality is among the worst of any major U.S. city, and you will never find a harsher critic than I of its subpar built environment.

May it never be said, though, that I do not praise the few works in the city that are actually worthy of admiration. Here’s one: the 1991 expansion of the Georgian Terrace Hotel, designed by Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart & Associates of Atlanta.

The 20-story tower was attached to the original 1911 structure—the first of dozens of luxury hotels in the eastern United States designed by W.L. Stoddart of New York,³ ⁴ ⁵ who had deep ties to Atlanta,⁶ ⁷ ⁸ and designed several other buildings in the city, notably the Winecoff Hotel,⁹ ¹⁰ site of the deadliest hotel fire in United States history.

W.L. Stoddart. South facade of the Georgian Terrace Hotel (1911), Atlanta.

Efficient and prolific, Stoddart became a wealthy man from his many projects, although his legacy is all but forgotten today. I would argue that’s because he spent the bulk of his career sacrificing his creative talent—and there is ample evidence that he had actual talent—by lazily repeating the same designs, which became increasingly flavorless and banal.

Compare Stoddart’s Poinsett Hotel in Greenville, South Carolina;¹¹ the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, South Carolina;¹² or the Hotel Savannah in Savannah, Georgia:¹³ the 3 buildings are nearly identical in appearance and plan.

Thomas Wolfe was scathingly accurate in his assessment of Stoddart’s Battery Park Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina: “It was being stamped out of the same mold, as if by some gigantic biscuit-cutter of hotels that had produced a thousand others like it all over the country.”¹⁴

After decades of neglect, the Georgian Terrace was abandoned in the 1980s and taken over by squatters, further damaged by a series of fires.¹⁵ ¹⁶ Spared from inevitable demolition, the structure was initially renovated into luxury apartments,¹⁷ ¹⁸ ¹⁹ with Smallwood’s soaring glass-and-steel atrium, seen here, ingeniously connecting Stoddart’s hotel building with the modern addition.

Looking at the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion from the west

Considered radical at the time, the design met with some local opposition²⁰ ²¹(isn’t that always the case?), but in the years since, the expanded Georgian Terrace—once again a hotel—has become an integral part of Midtown Atlanta, and is something rare for the city: a beautiful and unique space that preserves history.

Gallery

Looking up at the atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Exposed exterior wall of the original Georgian Terrace Hotel in the atrium of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Lobby entrance in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

First-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

First-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Stairwell in the lobby of the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Ground-floor lobby in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

Conference center in the Georgian Terrace Hotel Expansion, Atlanta

References
1. Patureau, Alan. “Landmark Gets New Lease On Life”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, December 9, 1989, p. A-1. ↩︎
2. Patureau, Alan. “A restored Georgian Terrace will shine again in city’s skyline”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 22, 1991, p. D1. ↩︎
3. “$500,000 Hotel On Mims Corner”. The Atlanta Constitution, February 16, 1910, p. 5. ↩︎
4. “New York Architect Is In The City”. The Atlanta Journal, August 13, 1910, p. 3. ↩︎
5. “Atlanta’s New Hotel.” The Atlanta Constitution, October 4, 1911, p. 4. ↩︎
6. “City Notes.” The Atlanta Constitution, March 26, 1892, p. 5. ↩︎
7. “Bird’s-Eye View Of The Cotton States And International Exposition – Atlanta, Georgia, V.S.A.”, The Atlanta Constitution, November 4, 1894, p. 14. ↩︎
8. “Miss Elizabeth Powell To Wed Mr. W.L. Stoddard”. The Atlanta Journal, February 19, 1898, p. 7. ↩︎
9. “Peachtree Hotel To Cost $500,000”. The Atlanta Constitution, June 26, 1912, p. 3. ↩︎
10. “15-Story Hotel To Grace Peachtree; Will Cost $600,000”. The Atlanta Journal, October 20, 1912, p. 1. ↩︎
11. “Cleveland Firm To Get It At $925,000 And Structure Will Soon Be Fine Reality”. The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina), May 30, 1924, p. 2. ↩︎
12. “Twelve-Story Structure For City Is Planned”. The Greenville News (Greenville, South Carolina), August 3, 1922, p. 1. ↩︎
13. The Architectural Review, Volume 2, Part 1 (January 1913), p. 136. ↩︎
14. Wolfe, Thomas. You Can’t Go Home Again. New York: Scribner (2011), p. 97. ↩︎
15. Cordell, Actor. “Georgian Terrace, Imperial: old landmarks, new breed of ‘guests’”. The Atlanta Journal–Constitution, September 3, 1987, Intown Extra, p. 10D. ↩︎
16. White, Gayle. “Georgian Terrace Hotel Is Damaged by Fire”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, October 26, 1988, p. 5C. ↩︎
17. Patureau, Alan. “A restored Georgian Terrace will shine again in city’s skyline”. The Atlanta Constitution, May 22, 1991, p. D1. ↩︎
18. Cordell, Actor. “Georgian Terrace, in new clothes, makes bow”. The Atlanta Constitution, October 17, 1991, Intown Extra, p. D7. ↩︎
19. Royston, Deborah. “Grand Comeback”. The Atlanta Journal, October 17, 1991, p. E1. ↩︎
20. Fox, Catherine. “The Art of Adding On”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 24, 1990, p. E-1. ↩︎
21. Fox, Catherine. “With Preservation Ordinance in place, it’s a whole new ballgame for UDC”. The Atlanta Journal and Constitution, June 24, 1990, p. N-2. ↩︎
March 31, 2025
Introduction to G.L. Norrman
“The soul inspires art, and then art transforms and elevates matter to the ideal height of heavenly beauty.” – G.L. Norrman¹

G.L. Norrman. Windsor Hotel (1892). Americus, Georgia.

Gottfried Leonard Norrman (1848-1909)—known professionally as G.L. Norrman—was a leading architect of Atlanta and the Southeastern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and unquestionably the finest Southern designer of his era.

Born in Voxtorp, Sweden, in 1848, Norrman (pictured here²) emigrated to the United States in 1874 and first established his practice in the Upcountry of South Carolina, starting in Greenville in 1876 before moving to Spartanburg in 1878, where he became a U.S. citizen.

In May 1881, Norrman moved his business to Atlanta and was based there for the remainder of his life. A prominent and controversial fixture of the city’s social scene, Norrman shocked Atlantans and spurred national headlines when he died by suicide in November 1909 at the age of 61.

In his 33-year career, Norrman completed over 300 buildings across 5 Southeastern states—Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Alabama—with the bulk of his work consisting of grand public structures and elegant residences in Atlanta, most of which were demolished in the 20th century.

He also worked extensively in small towns across the region, as well as in cities such as Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Florida; and Charleston, South Carolina.

Norrman closely followed the work of prominent Northern architects such as H.H. Richardson, McKim, Mead & White, and Louis Sullivan, and worked in step with the era’s emerging design trends, introducing the Colonial Revival and Classical Revival styles to the Southeast, among other notable contributions.

Pictured here: G.L. Norrman. Citizens Bank (1896). Savannah, Georgia.

I was introduced to Norrman’s work as a child growing up in Americus, Georgia, where 7 of his works remain, including the landmark Windsor Hotel (1892, pictured above), which I consider his masterwork.

Seamlessly blending the Romanesque style with Moorish, Queen Anne, and Palladian elements, the Windsor is the finest example of Norrman’s skillful ability to create eclectic designs that were striking, harmonious, and awe-inspiring.

Of the more than 400 projects designed by Norrman, at least 64 still exist in some form; I have mapped and listed them below.

Extant Works by G.L. Norrman

Projects listed by date of construction.

G.L. Norrman. Edward C. Peters Residence, “Ivy Hall” (1883). Atlanta.
1. Springwood Cemetery, designed in 1876 – Greenville, South Carolina [Map]
2. Charles Lanneau Residence, completed 1877 – 417 Belmont Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina [Map]
3. William T. Wilkins Residence(attributed), completed 1878 – 105 Mills Avenue, Greenville, South Carolina [Map] [Related Videos: An inside look at the Wilkins House, Tour historic mansion in its new spot]
4. Block of 2 storerooms (attributed, altered), completed 1879 – 101 East Main Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
5. Newberry Hotel, completed 1880 – 1200 Main Street, Newberry, South Carolina [Map]
6. City Hall and Opera House, completed 1882 – 1201 McKibben Street, Newberry, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: O is for Opera House]
7. Stone Hall, completed 1882 – Morris Brown College, Atlanta University Center [Map]
8. Edward C. Peters Residence, “Ivy Hall”, completed 1883 – 179 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map] [Video: Visit Ivy Hall with Paula Wallace]
9. Christ Church, built 1886 – 305 East Central Avenue, Valdosta, Georgia [Map]
10. All Saints Church (altered), built 1886 – 530 Greenwood Street, Barnesville, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. W.W. Duncan Residence (1886). Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1. W.W. Duncan Residence, completed 1886 – 300 Howard Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
2. George A. Noble Residence, completed 1887 – 1025 Fairmont Avenue, Anniston, Alabama [Map]
3. Printup Hotel (altered), completed 1888 – 135 North 4th Street, Gadsden, Alabama [Map]
4. Armstrong Hotel, ground floor facade (altered), building completed 1888 and demolished 1932, ground floor facade incorporated into replacement building – 90 East 2nd Avenue, Rome, Georgia [Map]
5. Samuel McGowan Residence, completed 1889 – 211 North Main Street, Abbeville, South Carolina [Map]
6. Ervin Maxwell Residence, “Fort View”, completed 1889 – 134 McDonald Street SW, Marietta, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. T.W. Latham Residence (1889). Inman Park, Atlanta.
1. Thomas W. Latham Residence, completed 1889 – 804 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
2. Atlanta and Edgewood Street Railroad Shed (attributed), completed 1889 – 963 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
3. 125 Edgewood Avenue (attributed), completed 1889 – Downtown, Atlanta [Map]
4. W.L. Glessner Residence (attributed), completed 1890 – 1202 South Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
5. E. A. Hawkins Residence, completed 1890 – 406 East Church Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
6. Home for East Atlanta Land Company, completed 1890 – 897 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
7. Home for East Atlanta Land Company, completed 1890 – 882 Euclid Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
8. Standard Wagon Company Building (attributed), completed 1891 – 58 Walton Street NW, Fairlie-Poplar, Atlanta [Map]
9. M. B. Council Residence (attributed), completed 1891 – 602 Rees Park, Americus, Georgia [Map]
10. City Hall and Fire Station, completed 1891 – 109 North Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Henry Street School (1892). Savannah, Georgia.
1. Henry Street School, completed 1892 – 115 West Henry Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
2. W. P. Carrington Residence, completed 1892 – 2 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: Two Meeting Street Inn]
3. Windsor Hotel, completed 1892 – 125 West Lamar Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
4. College Inn (altered), completed 1892 – 2 Epworth Dorm Lane, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina [Map]
5. Edgewood Avenue Grammar School, completed 1892 – 729 Edgewood Avenue NE, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
6. John W. Wheatley Residence, expansion and renovation (attributed) of home built circa 1860, completed 1892 – 128 Georgia Highway 49 North, Americus, Georgia [Map]
7. John T. Taylor Residence(attributed), completed 1892 – 603 South Lee Street, Americus, Georgia [Map]
8. George W. Williams Residence, Jr. expansion and renovation(attributed) of home built circa 1770, completed 1892 – 15 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map]
9. Fannie Lou Cozart Residence renovation and expansion of home built circa 1825, completed 1893 – 211 East Court Street, Washington, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. J.C. Simonds Residence (1893). Charleston, South Carolina.
1. J.C. Simonds Residence, renovation and expansion of home originally built in 1856, completed 1893 – 29 East Battery Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video:29 E Battery Porcher-Simons house Charleston]
2. R.O. Barksdale Residence, completed 1893 – 33 Lexington Avenue, Washington, Georgia [Map]
3. C. D. Hurt Residence (attributed), completed 1893 – 36 Delta Place, Inman Park, Atlanta [Map]
4. Sixteenth Street School, completed 1893 – 1532 3rd Avenue, Columbus, Georgia [Map]
5. W.B. Chisolm Residence, expansion and renovation(attributed) of home built circa 1816, renovation circa 1893 – 68 Meeting Street, Charleston, South Carolina [Map]
6. T.P. Ivy Residence, completed 1895 – 785 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
7. Citizens Bank, completed 1895 – 15 Drayton Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
8. Wellhouse and Son Building, completed 1896 – 263 Decatur Street SE, Downtown, Atlanta [Map]
9. Milton Dargan Residence, completed 1897 – 767 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
10. W.L. Reynolds Residence, completed 1897 – 761 Piedmont Avenue NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
G.L. Norrman (attributed). Cleveland Law Range (1899). Spartanburg, South Carolina.
1. Cleveland Law Range(attributed), completed 1899 – 175 Magnolia Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
2. Anderson Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, completed 1899 – 312 Sycamore Street, Decatur, Georgia [Map]
3. Henry D. Stevens Residence, renovation and expansion of home built 1866, completed 1899 – 303 East Gaston Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
4. Arthur B.M. Gibbes Residence, completed 1900 – 105 East 37th Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
5. 38th Street School, completed 1901 – 315 West 38th Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Candler Hall (1902). University of Georgia, Athens.
1. Candler Hall, completed 1902 – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia [Map]
2. Denmark Hall, completed 1902 – University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia [Map]
3. Bisbee Building, completed 1902 – 57 West Bay Street, Jacksonville, Florida [Map]
4. Eureka Hotel, completed 1902–03 – 104 East Pickens Street, Abbeville, South Carolina [Map] [Related Video: Belmont Inn]
5. Lawrence McNeil Residence, completed 1904 – 513 Whitaker Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map] [Related Video: Savannah, GA, Colonial Mansion Tour]
6. C.W. Dupre Residence(attributed), completed 1904 – 393 Cherokee Street NE, Marietta, Georgia [Map]
7. First Baptist Church, completed 1905-16 – 305 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama [Map]
8. Barnard Street School, completed 1906 – 212 West Taylor Street, Savannah, Georgia [Map]
9. E. W. McCerren Apartments, “The Chester”, completed 1907 – 223 Ponce De Leon Avenue NE; Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
10. Piedmont Driving Club renovation and expansion(altered), originally designed by Norrman in 1887, built from a home constructed in 1868; partially destroyed by fire on January 11, 1906; rebuilt and expanded to Norrman’s design from 1906-07 – 1215 Piedmont Avenue NE, Atlanta [Map]
G.L. Norrman. Palmer Apartments (1908). Midtown, Atlanta.
1. Palmer Apartments, completed 1908 – 81 Peachtree Place NE, Midtown, Atlanta [Map]
2. E.S. Ehney Residence, completed 1908 – 223 15th Street NE, Ansley Park, Atlanta [Map]
3. Ella B. Wofford Residence, completed 1909 – 571 East Main Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
4. Central Methodist Church, transepts and renovation, completed 1910 by Hentz & Reid – 233 North Church Street, Spartanburg, South Carolina [Map]
See also: Projects by G.L. Norrman – The Complete List

References
1. “The Sketch Club!” The Atlanta Journal, January 11, 1892, p. 3. ↩︎
2. Photo credit: City of Atlanta: A Descriptive, Historical and Industrial Review of the Gateway City of the South, p. 107. ↩︎
March 30, 2025