Shutze put the Swan in Swanky.
Philip Trammell Shutze – the name says it all. He was THE residential architect in Jazz Age Atlanta. Think Gatsby. Think Loos. Think Fitzgerald – and we mean Zelda.
When you visit, know that the spectacular Inman estate was designed by Shutze from 1926-1928, the latter years of the Country Place Era. At Swan House, as with many of his grand homes, Shutze designed the formal gardens that surround and showcase the Inman residence.
This was a time when heirs to fortunes and wealth – some old, some new – created opulent properties that demonstrated, and demanded, their place in society with a very obvious expression of affluence.
Shutze studied in Italy for five years (as well as driving an ambulance in France during World War I) before returning to his home state. His expatriate time abroad defines his style. He later commented on the Swan House gardens design saying, “… the landscape was done with the Italian garden in England in mind.” In this he means he took the best of baroque Italy and merged it with English style into a modern home of the early twentieth century. From the grand, sweeping lawn to the private boxwood garden, Shutze’s plan takes you from drama to intimacy.
The house and gardens were designed for entertaining and Shutze was a master of integrating plush gardens with the design of his houses in style, scale, and panache. The Swan House is a superlative example, and the house and gardens must be understood and experienced as a whole – just as Shutze planned.
