The Georgian Terrace Hotel
The Georgian Terrace Hotel was constructed in 1910-1911 and first opened to the public on Monday, October 2, 1911. A throng of 5,000 enthusiastic Atlantans attended the hotel’s opening day festivities and it immediately became known as one of the finest hotels in the Southeast. Built of butter-colored brick in the French Renaissance style, the ten-story building was designed by New York architect William L. Stoddart. The hotel’s design featured many outstanding and elegant architectural details. The turreted corners, floor-to-ceiling Palladian-styled windows, and wide wrap-around columned terraces without, along with crystal chandeliers, white marble columns, elliptical staircases and Italian tiled floors within, brought an elegance unknown at that time in Atlanta.
The gracefully curving building, designed to conform to the city’s early trolley rail lines, which ran along Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue, was instantly dubbed Atlanta’s “Paris hotel”. The hotel’s public spaces became popular gathering places for wealthy Atlantans, and the hotel emerged as a symbol of the resurrection of the Southern capital from its scorched Civil War ruins.
The Georgian Terrace soon became as famous for its guest list as for its elegant appointments. A number of notable guests visited the hotel in the early part of the century, including Calvin Coolidge, Waren G. Harding, Charles Lindbergh, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tallulah Bankhead and Rudolph Valentino. Opera great Enrico Caruso, along with members of The Metropolitan Opera, were guests at the hotel for two weeks during the spring of 1913. They began a tradition that continued for 75 years, as the Met singers became artists-in-residence during their annual tours to Atlanta.
Caruso was so impressed with the hotel that he wrote a letter praising it for “good treatment, excellent food and having everything that could be desired”. On subsequent visits to Atlanta, Caruso always stayed at the Georgian Terrace where he liked to sit on the porch and sketch caricatures of his friends. The outdoor teas given there under striped umbrellas lent an air of the Riviera to Peachtree Street. On performance nights, a red carpet was rolled out across Peachtree Street, connecting the hotel to the Fox Theatre where the grand opera performed.
During the Roaring Twenties, the hotel saw several notable events and controversies. Ballroom dance legend Arthur Murray taught dance classes in the Grand Ballroom during the early 1920’s. On the morning of July 11, 1926, four unknown gunmen shot and killed Bert Donaldson, the state’s chief investigator for the Solicitor General, while he was having breakfast on the hotel’s front terrace. The crime was thought to be a planned “hit”, evident of Atlanta’s underworld connections to organized crime.
Perhaps the hotel’s most legendary brush with fame occurred during the 1930’s. On December 15, 1939, the hotel’s Grand Ballroom was the site of the gala reception for the world-premier showing of Gone With the Wind. Clark Gable, Carole Lombard, Vivian Leigh, Laurence Olivier, Olivia de Havilland, Claudette Cobert, producers Victor Fleming, Louis B. Mayer, and David O. Selznick, and novelist Margaret Mitchell were in attendance for one of the grandest parties the city had ever seen. The governor declared the day a state holiday and the block in front of the hotel was closed to accommodate a processional of Hollywood celebrities and special guests as they spilled out into the street while thousands of on-lookers lined Peachtree Street.
During World War II, the hotel’s ballrooms hosted numerous fundraisers for the war effort. The Assembly, an organization of young ladies, sponsored chaperoned dances for military men in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom. The hotel’s first modernization also occurred during this period and the tiled buttresses along the roof were removed because of deterioration. After the war, The Georgian Terrace became a residential hotel, considered a prestigious address where many widows in good circumstances – dowagers – chose to live. “The thing I remember best is that it was like a big family,” said Irma McCaulay, a resident from the late 1940’s to the early 1950’s. “I was away from home in the big city, and I had my privacy, my own quarters, yet I had this ‘family’ of hotel guests around me. In the dining room, you never had to eat alone if you didn’t want to. People were caring and refined”.
By the 1970’s Atlanta’s reputation for tearing down the old to build the new emerged and its skyline radically changed. Older buildings began giving way to extensive freeways, a new convention center, modern skyscrapers and numerous 1000-room mega-hotels. By 1981, with the hotel’s revenues in steady decline, the owners closed its doors for the first time in its 70 year history. The beautiful old building, suffering from years of neglect, became tattered and dilapidated and was boarded up and condemned. The building became occupied by vagrants and endured several fires during the early 1980’s. Numerous efforts to renovate and restore the building into condominiums fell flat and the hotel was slated for demolition. A high-rise office building was scheduled to replace the graceful 1911 historic structure. Preservationists protested and plans to demolish it were finally blocked in 1986 when it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1989, Atlanta developer E.F. Howington teamed with Japanese design firm Sato Kogyo and announced an ambitious plan to restore the hotel to its original grandeur. A design was created to restore the old hotel into a modern luxury apartment building. The original 10-story structure was to be refurbished and a new 19-story wing would be added. The Atlanta architect firm of Smallwood, Reynolds, & Stuart sought to effect a seamless transition between the old and new, incorporating a unique 20-story rounded atrium tower in its design. Atlanta mayor Andrew Young and other city dignitaries attended the official groundbreaking ceremony on December 15, 1989, the 50th anniversary of the Gone With the Wind premier reception. The pain-staking restoration work took 2 years to complete as many of the elegant fixtures that had been carted off during the building’s dark years had to be recovered or replicated. Dropped ceilings that had been added in the 1940’s were removed, revealing a stunning stained glass ceiling in the Ponce de Leon entrance foyer.
The Georgian Terrace Apartments officially opened October 2, 1991, 80 years to the day as the original hotel’s grand opening. The luxury apartment complex housed 292 units, featuring studio, one, two and three-bedroom apartments and several deluxe penthouse apartments. The building’s new look was praised by civic leaders and city preservationists and marked a trend toward historic preservation in Atlanta. The development also sparked revitalization efforts in Midtown Atlanta, and lead the way for a growing number of historic buildings to find new life as condominiums, restaurants and shops.
In 1997, new owners envisioned The Georgian Terrace to be returned to its former glory as Atlanta’s “grande dame” of hotels and it was converted into an all-suite luxury hotel that year. In late 1999, the hotel was sold to Denver-based Amstar Corporation and the Atlanta-based Camberley Hotel Company was named to manage the 326-room property. In mid 2000, the hotel embarked on a $10-million restoration campaign. A new state-of-the art conference center, expanded atrium lobby, fine dining restaurant, lounge, and refurbished ballrooms are part of the renovation plans.
Chronological History
1821 The state of Georgia acquires 202.5 acres of land, including the future site of The Georgian Terrace Hotel, from the Creek Indians.
1849 Richard Peters, pioneer Atlantan, purchased Land Lot 49 (the future site of The Georgian Terrace) from Alexander Ratterree for $1200.00.
1879 The two-story frame residence of Mayor Livingston Mims (Atlanta mayor from 1901-1902) is built on the future site of the Georgian Terrace. Mims died at his home in 1906.
1910 Construction begins on the Georgian Terrace Hotel on July 21.
1911 The hotel opens to the public on October 2, 1911.
1913 Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera are guests at the hotel in April for two weeks during their annual visit to Atlanta. The Ponce de Leon Apartments open across the street from The Georgian Terrace. This building was also designed by New York architect W.L. Stoddart.
1917 Major General Ebin Swift takes up residence at the Georgian Terrace while awaiting completion of his quarters at Camp Gordon.
1921 Calvin Coolidge visits the hotel for a two-day stay.
1926 Bert Donaldson, chief investigator of the Office of Solicitor General, is shot to death at The Georgian Terrace. The Atlanta Journal reports that a scar-faced gang leader and three others, supposedly from Atlanta’s underworld, are sought in the “most carefully planned crime in the annals of Atlanta”.
1929 The 4,500 seat Fox Theatre opens across the street from the Georgian Terrace.
1939 The reception for the premier showing of Gone With the Wind is held in the hotel’s Grand Ballroom on December 15. The Governor declares the day a state-wide holiday and thousands line Peachtree Street to watch as Hollywood celebrities parade down Peachtree from the Lowes Grand Theatre (formerly at 133 Peachtree) downtown to the Georgian Terrace Hotel.
1945 Modernization of the hotel occurs with air-conditioning, new plumbing and some interior changes. The hotel’s tile buttressed roof is removed due to deterioration.
1956 The hotel converts the former Georgian Motor Club office space on the Mezzanine level into three dining and meeting spaces.
1961 The hotel is sold for the first time in its history. Dr. Irving Goldstein and Dr. Marvin Goldstein purchase the 252-room property for a reported $250,000. Extensive re-modeling is planned.
1981 The hotel closes its doors for the first time in its 70 year history.
1986 The National Park Service designates the building a historic landmark. It becomes listed on the National Register of Historic Places, blocking plans for demolition.
1989 E.F. Howington and Sato Kyoga form a partnership to restore the old hotel and convert it into luxury apartments.
1991 The Georgian Terrace Apartments reopens in October to rave reviews, sparking renewed interest in historic preservation in Atlanta.
1997 New owners announce plans to re-convert the Georgian Terrace Apartments to an all-suite luxury hotel. Grand Heritage International is named to manage and over-see the conversion of the property. The hotel re-opens in April.
1999 The hotel is purchased by Denver-based Amstar Corporation in November. The owners name the Atlanta-based Camberley Hotel Company, a hotel company specializing in historic hotels, to oversee operations.
2000 A $10 million renovation and refurbishment project begins in July. Plans include room refurbishment, new state-of-the-art conference center, renovated restaurant and lounge, and a new expansive atrium lobby area.
Atlanta Urban Design Commission Report On The Georgian Terrace
Designated: Landmark Building Exterior June 13, 1990
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, 1986
659 Peachtree Street, N.E. Fronting 171.25' on the east side of Peachtree Street at the northeast corner of the intersection of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue. District 14, Land Lot 49 Fulton County, City of Atlanta Existing Zoning SPI-2
Constructed: 1910-11 Architect: William L. Stoddart
Located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Peachtree Street and Ponce de Leon Avenue, the Georgian Terrace Hotel once represented the northernmost expansion of the city. Recognizing the importance of these two major traffic arteries, the hotel was designed to address both streets and to create a fluid transition from Peachtree to Ponce de Leon through the use of a rounded element connecting the two facades. This effect was further enhanced by the curving facade of the Ponce de Leon Apartments on the southeast corner, also designed by W. L. Stoddart, which opened in 1913. Together, the Georgian Terrace Hotel, for many years considered the height of elegance for out-of-town-visitors, and the Ponce de Leon Apartments, one of the first high-rise luxury apartment buildings in Atlanta, form an elegant gateway for the expansive boulevard of Ponce de Leon.
The prominence of the intersection was assured with the construction of the "Fabulous" Fox Theatre in 1927, one of the largest theatres built during the height of the golden age of movie palaces.
The construction of the Georgian Terrace Hotel took place between July 21, 1910 and September 8, 1911, according to the records of the City Inspector. The ten story (148 ft. high) building, including basement, was built at a cost of $500,000 by George C. Fuller Construction Company of New York. Joseph F. Gatins, Jr., who built the Georgian Terrace Hotel, was a native Atlantan whose father Joseph, Sr., was one of Atlanta's first residents. When the public was invited to inspect the Georgian Terrace Hotel on October 2, 1911, the Atlanta Journal reported:
Atlantans went by the thousands Monday evening to the formal opening of the Georgian Terrace Hotel, that rears its magnificent ten stories on the corner of Peachtree and Ponce de Leon. Probably 5000 people called between the hours of 8 and 11 to gain a first glimpse of the beautiful interior -- the outside had already been admired for months. Finished in the most exquisite style of any hotel in the south is this half-million dollar acquisition in Atlanta.
William F. Parkhurst, publicity agent for the hotel stated:
On all sides were heard expressions of approval for the quaint orchestra from Spain, in costume, and for the liveried white bell boys and maids on duty, and the general appearance of an up-to-date Fifth Avenue 'hotel beautiful', which was exemplified last night at the Georgian Terrace. This hotel marks a distinct step forward in southern hoteldom and as we expressed in our advertisements 'a Parisian hotel on a noted boulevard in a metropolitan city.'
Built of brick and marble, the Georgian Terrace Hotel was designed in the Beaux Arts style as a Southern interpretation of the Parisian hotel. Grand entries are located on both the Peachtree and Ponce de Leon facades and the street level also offers an outdoor cafe terrace, all designed for the purpose of attracting visitors.
The hotel's Peachtree facade features two-story high round arched openings set under a wide cornice, which is supported by narrow pilasters. The center of the Peachtree facade is set back, although the cornice is not, so a shallow entrance portico is created. A change in elevation takes place on the Ponce de Leon side of the building with the ground falling away to the east. The center of the Ponce de Leon facade also has a recessed element, which emphasizes the Ladies Carriage entrance -- a projecting portico supported by four columns set on a rusticated arcaded base. This entrance provided access to both the main floor and the lower level of the hotel located underneath the cafe terrace.
Above the cornice of the base, both facades remain relatively simple. The operable sash windows have plain limestone sills and transoms. The primary decorative elements are balconettes which are placed at various levels and the ornamented spandrels which appear at the first story above the base and at the uppermost story. Originally, the hotel featured a prominent shed roof cornice supported by ornamented, paired brackets. This feature, which was typical of structures of the period in which the hotel was built, has been removed.
The transition between the two facades is achieved by a cylindrical tower device which is set back into the building and gives the cornice of the structure a rounded-off effect.
For many years after its opening on October 2, 1911, the Georgian Terrace Hotel was the most luxurious hotel in Atlanta. As such it played host to many prominent individuals from a variety of fields, including Calvin Coolidge when he was vice-president elect. Enrico Caruso and the Metropolitan Opera Company, during their Atlanta season, made the Georgian Terrace their headquarters each spring for several years after the hotel first opened. The hotel was also the choice for guests attending the world premiere of "Gone With the Wind" in 1939, including its two stars, Clark Gable and Vivian Leigh.
W.L. STODDART (Architect)
William L. Stoddart (1869-1940) was a prominent New York architect who designed buildings in Atlanta and other southern cities (Savannah, Birmingham, Charlotte, Charleston, SC). Born in New Jersey, W.L. Stoddart, died in New York in 1940 at age 71. He left behind a legacy of 26 significant works of architecture scattered throughout the eastern United States. After graduating from Columbia University’s School of Architecture, Stoddart joined an architectural firm and learned the trade. He set up his own business at age 36 and tried his hand at designing hotels, banks, office buildings, apartment buildings and post offices. Stoddart is particularly known for his hotels. Many have perished through the years, but of the buildings still standing, of note are The Georgian Terrace Hotel and Ponce Building in Atlanta, the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston, SC and the Tutweiler Hotel in Birmingham, Alabama.