HistoryFrom Rhodes to Robinson“A house so completely Italian that one almost expects to see – not camellias and gardenias-but a Venetian canal and gondolas outside the windows” Atlanta Journal Magazine -Andrew Sparks – April 16, 1950 Architectural HistoryDesigned in the Italian Baroque Style by the architectural firm of Hentz, Reid and Adler – later Hentz, Adler, and Shutze – the home, built for Joseph and Frances Rhodes, was completed in 1926 and is referred to locally as the “Pink Palace” -owing to the original color of the stucco and the pink dogwoods that flank the entry drive. It has been said, that a house of this quality could not have been produced without the combined efforts of three of Georgia’s greatest early twentieth century architects, Neel Reid, Hal Hentz, and Philip Shutze. While Reid played a crucial role in the development of this house many of the features are so authentically Italian baroque as to be unmistakably the work of Philip Shutze -who spent three years studying classical architecture in Rome at the American Academy before returning to his native Georgia. In an interview in 1979 Phil Shutze, then 89 , recalled how Neel Reid and Hal Hentz had started the plans with the Rhodes. At Neel Reid’s death, Shutze was then given the immense task of finishing the designs for the house. He left the floor plans virtually intact and then spent countless hours working out details with Mrs. Rhodes. Although having previously worked on an Italian styled house Shutze felt that the Rhodes house was the first “Italian design” that was practically his alone. All this being said, Shutze was perhaps most proud of the fact, that in the end the “the Rhodes liked it.” In addition to designing homes for their clients the architects were often contracted to choose furniture and fittings. The Rhodes-Robinson house was no different. Josephine Robinson remembered the furniture quite well “I kept things the way my aunt had them, …every single piece that Philip Shutze chose was there, He had exquisite taste.” Some of those original furnishings still survive in the house, as do all of the original chandeliers, and sconces – most of which were already antiques when the house was first built. Designed for lavish entertaining the home has been the scene for many a grand affair, from charity functions to children’s birthday parties. This being said, however, it has never lost is ability to serve well as a family home. After Josephine Crawford was orphaned at the age of two she was raised by her Aunt and Uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Rhodes. The charming Josephine, a brilliant hostess and philanthropist, later married James D. Robinson Jr. At first the newly weds lived in a Shutze designed home they built for themselves immediately behind Mrs. Rhodes. When Mrs. Rhodes died Josephine inherited the house and it was then that she decided to move the family and raise their three children in the very house that she knew as a child. The home stayed in the family until1972 when it was sold to the Morris’. Later Mr. and Mrs. Scott Seydel moved into the home then the Williams’. The relationship these owners have had with this house is best described as a love affair. The current owner’s the Lashava’s are certainly no different. It is the last owner’s that have carried out an extensive renovation and complete restoration of the house. “I enjoyed doing that house.” Shutze said. It was a new thing for Atlanta. ..this Italianate style, it was controversial and the house was a surprise to Atlanta” Further ReadingAmerican Classicist, The Architecture of Philip Trammel Shutze -, Elizabeth Meredith Dowling - New York, Rizzoli Int. Pub.1989 Architecture of Neel Reid in Georgia -, James Grady.. Athens. University of Georgia Press, 1973. J. Neel Reid Architect of Hentz, Reid & Adler and the Georgia School of Classicists - William R Mitchell jr.. Savannah, A Golden Coast Book. “America’s Greatest Living Classical Architect: Philip Trammell Shutze of Atlanta, Georgia” – Classical America IV – Henry Hope Reed - 1977 Sources“A Little Portfolio of Good Interiors” House and Garden Magazine, Conde Nast Publishers January 1929, pp.71, 72 “Architectural Backgrounds in the South” House and Garden Magazine, Conde Nast Publishers August 1929, pp.62, 63 Jay, Randy ”Design Showhouse A Tribute to Architect Philip Trammell Shutze” Atlanta Journal and Constitution– Homes and Gardens - April 22, 1979 Sparks, Andrew – Atlanta Journal Magazine – April 16, 1950 Wilson, Susannah M. “The Rhodes-Robinson House,” The 2003 Decorator’s Show House. April 26, 2003 pp 54, 56 Dowling, Elizabeth Meredith. American Classicist, The Architecture of Philip Trammel Shutze. New York, Rizzoli Int. Pub.1989 pp. 84-87 Grady, James. Architecture of Neel Reid in Georgia. Athens. University of Georgia Press, 1973. Mitchell, William R., jr. J. Neel Reid Architect of Hentz, Reid & Adler and the Georgia School of Classicists. Savannah, A Golden Coast Book. pp.99 Links - Coming Soon
|
