Wednesday, March 26, 2008

THE SWAN HOUSE

The Swan House - an Atlanta landmark - designed in the 1920's by famed architect Philip Trammell Shutze for the Inman family of Atlanta. I have spent many enjoyable outings here in years past when I lived in Atlanta. The grounds and house are beautiful and it's definitely a place well worth visiting for both it's design value and historical significance.

Atlanta is a place that holds special ties for me and my family. My grandfather's family has strong roots there in the Druid Hills/Westminster area and at Emory University. One of my great uncles, Lauren Foreman, was a founding member of the High Museum of Art, and another uncle, writer and historian Richard Barksdale Harwell, was on the board of the Atlanta Historical Society, which is housed on the grounds of the Swan House now. My grandfather, Ernie Harwell, grew up there and one of his first jobs was as Margaret Mitchell's (author of Gone with the Wind) paperboy. After graduation from Emory, he went on to write for the Atlanta Constitution and the Sporting News and later joined WATL radio as a broadcaster for the minor league baseball team, the Atlanta Crackers. He eventually left Atlanta when he was traded for a minor league pitcher to the Brooklyn Dodgers to be their broadcaster. At the time of their move to NYC, my dad was only 2 years old. Many years later, when I was a teenager, my dad's job brought him back to suburban Atlanta, where our family lived for almost 20 years. My great-grandparents house is still standing on Clifton Road, just down from Emory and my late great Aunt Noni's house in Ansley Park (midtown) was lovingly restored by her son, Barksdale, a retired Coca-Cola executive. He still lives there with his wife, Mary. Both of my brothers live in suburban Atlanta with their families. So, even though I no longer am a resident, I guess you could say Atlanta is still a place with strong ties for me.

So, when I saw the post that Anna Clisdell of Sydney, Australia had written on this house, I took special interest in it and couldn't resist leaving a comment. I met Anna through her blog Villa Anna. She responded and approached me about painting the house for her. Of course, I was delighted and it was a special joy to paint a place that held some very special memories for me. Anna is a warm and lovely woman who made the commission process a great experience. You can read her post on it here.

19 comments:

Sue said...

Your work is just beautiful. How sweet of you to do these gorgeous drawings. Love Swan House.

annechovie said...

Thank you, Sue!

pve design said...

Anne,
As the saying goes, the "apple does not fall far from the tree' or in your case, the "peach"!
Lovely drawing and nice to read about your Atlanta Roots.
Patricia

teaorwine said...

lovely depiction.

The Peak of Chic said...

I love it Anne!!! Such a magical place. Have you thought about approaching the Swan House with your painting? Perhaps they can sell the prints/notecards in the Swan Coach House giftshop.

annechovie said...

You are very gracious, Patricia. Thank you!

annechovie said...

Thank you, Tea or Wine!

annechovie said...

Jennifer,
That is a great suggestion and I may pursue that avenue. Thanks for your kind words and, I agree, Swan House is very magical! I can still smell the boxwoods that surround the house in the Summer heat.

Melissa @ The Inspired Room said...

I saw this at Villa Anna's and adored it! You did a fabulous job recreating its splendor! I agree that it would be a great idea to approach The Swan House and see if they would be able to use your drawing!

Another lovely piece!

Blessings,
Melissa

annechovie said...

I SO appreciate your consistent support, Melissa! You are the greatest!

Tara said...

Anne

Just gorgeous, what a talent...and how nice you have a tie to the home...great post!
:0)
Tara

annechovie said...

Mucho gracias, Tara! I hope you're having a good week. Hope you find some thin mints somewhere.....

Villa Anna said...

Anne, thank you ever so much for your kind comments. I agree with everyone that selling your swan house prints at swan house would be amazing!

Anna :)

annechovie said...

Anna, you are very welcome and thanks for your support!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. I would love to visit this house. You do an amazing job creating such charming pieces. So your grandfather is the Ernie Harwell. My boyfriend is from Michigan and he LOVES Ernie Harwell. He talks about him all the time. He has a book of his on the shelf. "To me Ernie Harwell is baseball.." Honest to God. So thank you for sharing your family history-a great post!

~Maureen

annechovie said...

Thanks so much for stopping by and for your kind comment, Maureen! That's funny about your boyfriend and my grandpa...

annechovie said...

BTW, Maureen, I am crazy about Stephane Grapelli also!

Anonymous said...

Loved your painting. Grew up there and was interested in the landscape changes. Walls on either side of pool steps were covered with trailing vines. Huge gardenia bushes in the 4 corners of the next level down.

annechovie said...

Hi Mimi! Thanks for your kind comment! I am sure a lot has changed over the years. I would love to see more photos of the house in earlier years. Thanks for stopping by!

 
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