My visit to the swan house, a historical landmark of atlanta, georgia

The historical site that I chose to visit was the Swan House, located in Atlanta, Georgia. The Swan House was home to Edward and Emily Inman and was built in 1928. The Swan House is located right behind the Atlanta History Center and is open Monday-Saturday 11: 00 am – 4: 00 pm and Sunday 1: 00 – 4: 00 pm. The Atlanta History Center is 33 acres of exhibits, grounds, and gardens including The Swan House, The Margaret Mitchell House, The Smith Family Farm and so much more. They offer general admission tickets for $28, which allows you access to the whole museum, and also a behind the scenes ticket for a 45-minute tour of the Swan House including general admission for $38.

The Swan House was built in the 1920s and was owned by Mr. and Mrs. Inman. Mr. Inman was the son of Hugh Inman who was a very wealthy man, due to a large fortune that he received working as a cotton broker. Their previous home in Ansley Park had burned down, so they decided to establish a fresh start and a new home to reclaim their wealth and to help rebuild the post civil war Atlanta. Mr. Inman was very active in the community and in the political scene. He played the role of an Atlanta City Councilman, and Fulton City Commissioner. He was one of the first two own a car in Atlanta and to get a drivers license in Georgia because one of his hobbies included racing cars. Mrs. Inman and her mother were suffragists and fought for women’s right to vote during this time. She also invested in the stock market in order to earn money during the great depression. Mr. and Mrs. Inman had a chauffer by the name of Grant Charter and a maid named Emma Jean.

Philip Trammell Shutze designed the Swan House along with the partnership of Hentz, Reid, and Adler, an architectural firm. He fully began working on the design of the house after the death of Reid. He is well known for his civil landmarks such as The Academy of Medicine, The Temple, and of course The Swan House, which are all located in Atlanta, Georgia, close to where he grew up. This classical house was influenced by Italian and English styles and had much of Mr. Inman’s input and ideas. Mr. Inman chose the swan, one of his favorite birds, to be the motif of this house, hence why it is called the swan house. Philip incorporated the swan motif into the designs and it is found all throughout the house in paintings, sculptures, and carvings.

Mr. Inman passed away only three years after the house was built in 1931 leaving his wife, Emily, there to take care of it. They both originally did not want kids in the house in order to keep it clean and for it not to become worn. However, after Mr. Inman’s passing, Mrs. Inman lived with her son and family in the house and her grandchildren also ended up growing up there. After she passed away in 1965, the Atlanta Historical Society purchased the house and its surrounding acres of land. The Swan House became a historical landmark instead of remaining a ‘ home’ because of its importance in rebuilding Atlanta after the Civil War. The house was a prime example of the lifestyle of Atlanta’s elite during the 1920s.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this site to a friend or family member because it was very interesting and it was different than most of the other historical sites that I have visited. If someone only had a short time to spend at this site I would suggest that they spend their time focusing on the outside architecture of the house because it was remarkable, especially the front of the house where there is a stone fountain which sits between two staircases to give the front of the house a symmetrical, classic look. What really intrigued me to visit The Swan House was because parts of the popular movie series The Hunger Games were filmed there. The Swan House acted as president snows home in Catching Fire, the second movie in the series. In conclusion I am very pleased with my visit to The Swan House and would definitely pay it another visit.