Ansley Park Tour of Homes---A walk through time

One thing I was really looking forward to when we moved intown was being close to all the intown home and garden tours and festivals.
We've tried to take advantage--there's so much to do we can't keep up.

Last weekend was the Ansley Park Tour of Homes featuring homes designed by Neel Reid at the turn of the last century. (1909)

There were two apartment buildings on the tour.

One South Prado was the home of Margaret Mitchell after she published GWTW.  It was the Della Manta apartments back then. She lived here in unit 3 at the time of the accident that lead to her death.  The story goes that she requested that the original Gone With the Wind manuscript be burned after she died.  It was burned here in the basement boiler of this building.  The apartment where she lived was featured on the tour.

Photography wasn't allowed so I'm using some pictures from a listing we had here last year.

The front entrance was moved from Piedmont to South Prado when the building was converted from apartments to condos in 2005.

I guess this new entry is easier to get to, not on a busy street, and closer to parking.

Here's the living room in our listing.  This unit is roomier that the unit on the tour. 

One thing that struck me about Neel Reid's design was his use of big windows and lots of them.

All the homes were bright and airy--except in cases of "modern improvement".

This room is often used as a sunroom.  I think the bookcases were added--not original to the design.

Notice the transoms above the windows.  This unit is on the third floor and overlooks a wonderful old oak tree.

The view is to die for.

One of the homes on the tour is for sale.

Let me know if you're interested.

It's only $2.5 million.

262 The Prado

This was the only tudor style home on the tour.

The inside is anything but stuffy old tudor.  I loved the contrast between the traditional style of the house and the collection of ultra modern art.  I didn't care for all the pieces, but I appreciate the style.

This door is original. The entry was moved from the front to the side of the house to give a larger foyer.  They turned the old entry into a powder room--it was that small.  The guide said Reid had designed the entry to be a small tunnel like space that then opened into this larger grander hall.  It was intended to give people a feeling of anticipation and surprise.

I get it, but I think I like this change. 

The living room still has the original mouldings, fireplace and wood floors.  The mouldings were very similar in all the homes.

Clean lined, symetrical and classic.

This hallway leads along the side of the house from the foyer, past the living room to a sunroom.

Again, look at all the windows and the natural light. 

The open flow of the rooms surprised me.



Photography wasn't allowed so I don't have more pictures.

The other homes were more the classic Colonial-Federal Revival Style.

Go to the Ansley Park Tour website for more information.

This coming weekend is jam-packed with fall festivals and football.

I'll have to prioritize.

Patti

Gardens For Connoisseurs Tour 2010

Every year Steve and I go on the Atlanta Botanical Gardens' Gardens for Connoisseurs Tour.
We always come away with a million ideas.  This is where we saw what we still call the "Dream House" that inspired our pool. This is a very costly Mothers' Day tradition.

This year was no exception.  We are again inspired and will probably have to take our a second mortgage as a result.

We are always careful NOT to follow the order suggested in the brochure.  We like to pick out specific gardens based on the description and locations--we avoid certain types until the end of the day-- if we have extra time then we squeeze them in.

NOW on to the Gardens:

Our first stop was Garden #7  located in Decatur on Willivee Dr.

This home is a very common brick ranch--the kind you see all over the country.  It was probably built in the late 1950s or 1960s.

The owners have turned the large yard into a wonderful garden.  Here's the big bed in the front yard.

...A close-up of the urn.

We were some of the first people there a 10am.  The morning light was super.

The house next door was not invited to participate in the tour. 
This very tall privacy fence hides the "scenery."  Good idea #1 for intown living.  The fence is a lot taller than it looks in this photo.

As good as this house looks from the front, the back was better--it just knocked my socks off.

This stone terrace is about 30 feet deep and I don't know how wide.

There are lovely stone steps leading from the French doors.

This was one of my favorite gardens.

Our next stop was on Morningside Drive.  I watched this garden being built.  Big trucks filled with plants would pull up to the curb.  My curiosity was killing me. 

The garden started at the curb--as it should.

Here's how a crepe myrtle should look.

The house sits up on the hill overlooking the street and a church across the street.

It's a bungalow with a big front porch... my very favorite.

In this front yard is a wonderful koi pond.

The home ower is also the garden designer.  I spoke with him briefly--he's a real nice guy.

He does a mean pot.

check out his window box.  Good idea #2 --What a good way to hide a bad view.

The next house was in Midtown.

The front was traditional, the back was contemporary.

The pool took up the whole backyard-

...not a problem in my book.

We exited this garden through the rear.

Really cool--

and walked down the alley to the next house.

This garden was designed by David Ellis--he's well known and is published in magazines.

Notice how you always look down the bed.  Plantings look better from this angle since any spaces are hidden.  The bed looks full, fading flowers don't show up so much.

Here's looking up the other way.

"Tour-ists" always try to sneak a peek.

The front of this house surprised me--remember, we entered through the back and came out the front.

It was a long day.

We're only half way through.

Come back tomorrow for more.

Patti