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.