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W.W. Abbot Residence – Louisville, Georgia

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W.F. Denny. W.W. Abbot Residence (circa 1902 renovation). Louisville, Georgia.
Willis F. Denny. W.W. Abbot Residence (circa 1902 renovation). Louisville, Georgia.

Willis Franklin Denny II (1874-1905), professionally known as Willis F. Denny, was an architect who practiced in Atlanta and the Southeastern United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Denny was born and raised in Louisville, Georgia1 (pronounced Lewis-ville), and studied architecture at Cornell University2 in New York. Unlike most Atlanta architects, Denny had actual talent.

Like so many Southern architects, however, Denny died tragically—at the age of 31, following a “severe attack of pneumonia”.3

Although his career lasted less than 10 years, Denny was prolific, and several fine examples of his work can be found across Georgia.

Notably, seven of Denny’s works still exist in Louisville, Georgia, including the Abbot Residence4 (pictured above) on Mulberry Street.

The Abbots were the ruling family of Louisville at the time, and their name is still found on every other building in the town. Denny remade the antebellum Abbot residence with the fine Neoclassical design seen today, although a definitive date for the project is elusive.

My best guess is that the Abbot house was renovated circa 1902, since Denny used the same design for the Fleming duBignon Residence(demolished, pictured below) in Atlanta, built on the corner of Peachtree and 14th Streets in 1902.5 6 7 8

So, which came first: the Abbot design or the duBignon design? That’s a mystery yet to be solved.

W.F. Denny. Fleming duBignon Residence (1902). Atlanta. Photograph from a postcard sent on March 2, 1909.
W.F. Denny. Fleming duBignon Residence (1902). Atlanta. Photograph from a postcard sent on March 2, 1909.

References

  1. “Died.” The News and Farmer (Louisville, Georgia), August 24, 1905, p. 3. ↩︎
  2. “Mr. Willis F. Denny Dies In Colorado” The Macon Telegraph (Macon, Georgia), August 19, 1905, p. 2. ↩︎
  3. “Denny Funeral To Be Wednesday Morning”. The Atlanta Journal, August 22, 1905, p. 5. ↩︎
  4. Jefferson County Joint Comprehensive Plan 2004-2024 ↩︎
  5. “DuBignon Will Soon Build.” The Atlanta Constitution, February 19, 1902, p. 12. ↩︎
  6. “$2,000,000 In Buildings Going Up In Atlanta”. The Atlanta Journal, February 28, 1902, p. 5. ↩︎
  7. “Fleming Du Bignon Will Move To Atlanta”. The Atlanta Journal, May 3, 1902, p. 5. ↩︎
  8. “Beautiful And Costly Atlanta Homes”. The Atlanta Constitution, August 10. 1902, p. 6. ↩︎

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