Maybe you have driven by one of these famous homes or buildings and not even known that they were designed by Philip Trammell Shutze, one of America’s finest classical architects. He designed many of Atlanta’s most elegant homes and buildings for 40 years. Two of his most memorable designs are the Swan House and the now razed and much beloved Rich’s Department store. Many of the homes and buildings that Shutze designed are in Atlanta’s Buckhead area, what many consider to be the heart of Atlanta’s treasured homes and estates.
A native of Columbus, Georgia, Shutze trained in architecture at the Georgia School of Technology, now Georgia Institute of Technology (1908-12), Columbia University (1912-13), and the American Academy in Rome, Italy. (1915-17, 1919-20).
In 1915, he won the Rome Prize which gave him the opportunity to study in Europe for five years. Inspired by Europe’s great buildings and monuments of the Renaissance and Baroque periods, Shutze returned to the United States to work briefly in New York. While there, he worked for Mott Schmidt who designed townhouses for the Astors, Morgans, and Vanderbilt families. Within a few years, he returned to Atlanta and began his career with the firm of Hentz, Reid, and Adler in Italianate and Georgian revival works of the mid-1920’s. When Neel Reid died a tragic early death in 1926, Shutze continued the legacy he had started and created the golden age of architecture in Atlanta. During his career and the first half of this century, Philip Shutze produced over 750 architectural works. He died in1982 at the age of 92.
A sampling of Philip Shutze’s homes and buildings in Atlanta include:
The Swan House (1926) – 3101 Andrews Drive Also know as the Inman house, this house is considered Shutze’s most outstanding residential design. A bird enthusiast, Mrs. Inman chose the swan as the theme for their home and called it the “Swan House.” Today it is part of the Atlanta History Center and is available for public tours.
The Thornton- Jones House (1936) – 205 West Paces Ferry Road Shutze’s inspiration for this home was from the late 18th and 19th century English and American neoclassical forms which he updated with his own personal interpretation. The front of the house was designed in the English Regency style and the rear is in the American Federal style. This Shutze home is currently on the market and more information can be be found by clicking on the link.
The Goodrum House (1931) – 320 West Paces Ferry Road This house is sometimes called the “Peacock House” and it was one of a favorite of his. After completion of the house, he was recognized for its design in the Architectural League of New York and in an issue of Architecture, which was a high recognition for Shutze as well as Atlanta. For many years, The Goodrum House was owned and operated as the Southern Center for International Studies. In 2009, it was one of the top ten most expensive sales in Atanta.
The English House (1930) – 426 West Paces Ferry Road This house was designed in the same style as the Goodrum House. It has a pedimented front porch and two stylish alcoves with urns that frame the front doorway.
The Rhodes House (1926) – 541 West Paces Ferry Road Atlantans know this as the “Pink Palace”, which refers to the original color of the stucco and also the pink dogwood trees that line the entry driveway. It has recently been renovated and turned into a “green” house with many new technological innovations.
The Patterson-Carr House (1939) – 3820 Northside Drive This is a beautiful Colonial Revival and it was representative of Shutze’s pursuit of early American Vernacular style during the 1930’s. It was built to appear as though it had had been added onto over time when actually it was built all at once.
The Calhoun House (1923) – 3418 Pinestream Road Shutze highlighted the look of the Italian Renaissance country house with this design. It is a beautiful 16th century style villa that showcases baroque elements from many different Italian villas.
The McRae House (1929) – 3053 Habersham Road Originally built for Mr. & Mrs. Floyd McRae, this house was built as a replica of Mrs. McRae’s childhood home in Chicago, Illinois. Built in an English vernacular style, it is unlike many of Shutze’s other designs because of the asymmetrical massing along the front of the home.
The Atlanta International School (1929) – 2890 North Fulton Drive Originally built as North Fulton High School, it is a fine illustration of Shutze’s institutional designs. Today it is the Atlanta International School and lies on 14 acres of land.
Glenn Memorial Church (1931) 1660 North Decatur Rd. Built on the Druid Hills campus of Emory University, this is a masterpiece of classic revival architecture.
Knollwood – The W.H. Kiser House (1929) -3351 Woodhaven Rd. An English Georgian home with a columned portico serving as the main entry into the home. This home is currently listed for sale with Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty. Please click here to see more photos of this Shutze home for sale in Atlanta.
East Lake Golf Club (1925) – 2575 Alson Dr. East Lake Golf Club was Atlanta’s first country club and it was the golf course that famed Atlanta golfer, Bobby Jones, first learned to play on. The club house was redesigned by Shutze in 1925 after the original club house burned. It is a three story English Tudor style building constructed of brick and cast stone.
References: The New Georgia Encyclopedia, Buckhead, Inc., American Classicist: The Architecture of Philip Trammell Shutze by Elizabeth Mededith Dowling