Sunday, January 11, 2015

Terry's Tiny Tour: the Haverty House by James Means

It's empty now neither updated nor staged. I didn't feel the mansion so much as I felt the family who had lived there. But I'm a very sentimental man.

Yesterday Limestone James sent me a message on Facebook. James isn't blogging right now but he's got his eye peeled. So when he says,  "Hey Terry, there's a good open house Sunday," I'm there. We agreed to meet at one o'clock right when it opened.


It's the Haverty House designed by James Means c. 1961 on the bluff overlooking Nancy Creek.

It is impressive and I was impressed: an important house for an important family by an important architect

But it's been a bit of a hard sale so far. The Haverty's raised their family here and the family stayed here until the children moved out and until the parents passed on. Its 1961 indoor livability stood the test of time but it's not the style today: No "shock and awe" spaces, fittings, finishing, or gear.

And it's empty.

The real estate ad says, "Spectacular setting and historic home ready to renovate."

20150111_133941 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
Stefan from Architect Design found the James Means book and quoted;

"The brick on the front facade was reclaimed from the Federal Reserve in downtown Atlanta, the columns on the rear porch were rescued from another building downtown, the balusters in the terrace wall above were from a Charleston, South Carolina house and the heart pine floors throughout were rescued from a house in Athens Georgia."

20150111_132648 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
The back is not like the front.

20150111_131153 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
The entrance hall contains the main stair, elegant but not the "shock and awe" you find today.

20150111_131031 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
The dining room is the most formal.

20150111_130947 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
Kids probably stayed out of here.

20150111_130404 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961
The agents have the books: The Houses of James Means 1979 by James Means on top, The Architecture of James Means, Georgia Classicist by William R. Mitchell on the bottom.

20150111_130654 2015-01-11 Haverty House by James Means c. 1961 detail
They still have the plans, this one: "Dining Room Family Room details Stair Hall to Playroom."

I put my camera away. Have a look at the real estate ad.

3 comments:

  1. An estate sale was held at the Haverty home last year. A gorgeous old home and some very interesting items for sale.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would have loved to have been there during the estate sale. Thanks Judy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Such a great house, I hope someone who appreciates it acquires it and not someone who will gut it to make another Mcmansion.

    ReplyDelete

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