“We have 33 acres of gardens and history,” Atlanta History Center CEO Sheffield Hale said. “You can come and browse and graze and take in as much or as little as you want. We’re not a 45-minute attraction. We’re an institution that’s got reasons for you to come back again and again.”
While visitors can trace Atlanta’s history at the Atlanta History Center, the center’s history begins at the Swan House. Emily and Edward Inman built the estate as their dream home in 1928. While Edward died three years later, Emily lived there until 1965.
“She wanted this home preserved,” the Atlanta History Center’s Jessica Vanlanduyt said. “She had close ties with people with the Atlanta Historical Society, and a little plan developed that when Emily passed, the Historical Society would ownership and purchase the home from her, from the family. So the Atlanta Historical Society purchase the home and its contents and the 28 acres and the intent was for the historical society to move in and have space to grow.”
You can’t spell swanky without swan. Experience the larger-than-life Swan House mansion–restored exactly to its 1930s appearance. It’s the house with the blue door. 💙 pic.twitter.com/19N3zYT166
— Atlanta History Center (@ATLHistCenter) July 30, 2021
Today, the history center welcomes guests to tour the Swan House, one of architect’s Philip Shutze’s most famous creations.
“The home itself is broken up into four different floors,” Vanlanduyt said. “The main level is kind of the family’s living space. You’ll see more of the formal space of the home, those intended for entertaining and many of the contents are original to the home. So you’re experiencing the home today as the family did in the 1920s and 30s.”
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Atlanta History Center Where can you find a famous movie mansion... (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center a painting that is larger than a football field... (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center that includes Clark Gable as a deceased Union solider... (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center a Tiny Door... (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center an amazing collection from one of Atlanta's most famous architects... (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center animals... (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center a look at what life used to be like in Atlanta...on the frontier... (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center a look back at the Atlanta Olympics Games... (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center and a train that is a major part at why Atlanta is Atlanta? (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center See it all at the Atlanta History Center in Buckhead. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “We have 33 acres of gardens and history,” Atlanta History Center CEO Sheffield Hale said. “You can come and browse and graze and take in as much or as little as you want. We’re not a 45-minute attraction. We’re an institution that’s got reasons for you to come back again and again.” (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Come make history! (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The center’s largest piece is this painting that stands 49 feet tall, is longer than a football field and weighs over 10,000 pounds. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center It’s now a multimedia experience called Cyclorama: The Big Picture. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “Imagine the viewer in 1886, you’ve never seen color photographs, about the only thing that you see are woodcuts in a newspaper, black and white, still images,” the Atlanta History Center’s Gordon Jones said. “You’ve never seen anything this size. You’ve never seen films. And you walk into this space and you’re completely immersed in this scene, and you can’t see where it ends in your peripheral vision and you can’t see where it ends at the top or the bottom. You’re in the middle of the battle. You’ve never seen anything like this before.” (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The Cyclorama depicts The Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864. Jones describes the cyclorama somewhere between history and art, fact and imagination. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center It was built for entertaining audiences. Visiting and viewing one of these is something people did back in the late 1800s. When it toured northern regions, it showcased a northern victory, which the battle of Atlanta was. But when the traveling production turned south, the cyclorama’s tale was spun another way to showcase the Confederacy. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “You’re not going to see another one of these outside of here and Gettysburg, Penn. They are the only two surviving cycloramas in the United States from this period that are currently on display,” Jones said. This right here is a piece of entertainment and Civil War history.” (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center What else is there to explore at the Atlanta History Center? Don’t miss The Locomotion: Railroads and the Making of Atlanta exhibit. It represents the beginnings of Atlanta’s history. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “We’re right in front of the Atlanta History Center, in front of the Texas locomotive and right next to the zero mile post that is right here,” Hale said. “This is why Atlanta is here. We’re a railroad town, wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t have any issues with water or anything else because we wouldn’t be so high up in the Piedmont. We’re here because of the railroads and these are the two symbols of Atlanta’s beginning, right here.” (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Climb aboard the railroad before venturing deeper into the center’s other exhibits. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Zero mile post (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The Texas locomotive will open to the public in fall 2018. Contact Email:
information@atlantahistorycenter.com
Contact URL:
atlantahistorycenter.com
Contact Phone:
404.814.4000
Usage Rights:
All Rights Reserved - Request Media Permission from Atlanta History Center (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos from the Atlanta History Center. (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center It's been 25 years since the Olympics were in Atlanta. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Relive some of the moments at Atlanta '96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Atlanta '96: Shaping an Olympic and Paralympic City (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center You can find this famous movie mansion at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center While visitors can trace Atlanta’s history at the Atlanta History Center, the center’s history begins at the Swan House. Emily and Edward Inman built the estate as their dream home in 1928. While Edward died three years later, Emily lived there until 1965. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “She wanted this home preserved,” the Atlanta History Center’s Jessica Vanlanduyt said. “She had close ties with people with the Atlanta Historical Society, and a little plan developed that when Emily passed, the Historical Society would ownership and purchase the home from her, from the family. So the Atlanta Historical Society purchase the home and its contents and the 28 acres and the intent was for the historical society to move in and have space to grow.” (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Today, the history center welcomes guests to tour the Swan House, one of architect’s Philip Shutze’s most famous creations. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center “The home itself is broken up into four different floors,” Vanlanduyt said. “The main level is kind of the family’s living space. You’ll see more of the formal space of the home, those intended for entertaining and many of the contents are original to the home. So you’re experiencing the home today as the family did in the 1920s and 30s.” (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The second floor features the bedrooms and an exhibit that commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment. The third floor features the servant’s quarters and discusses their contributions to the home and the city of Atlanta. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Fans of the “Hunger Games” will recognize the mansion as President Snow’s home in the movie franchise. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Here are some more photos of the Swan House at the Atlanta History Center. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Georgia’s oldest surviving farmhouse is on the property. (Lamar Alexander Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The Smith Farm tells the story of a working slave-holding farm. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Explore some of the nature paths, boardwalk and gardens the Atlanta History Center has to offer. See some animals, too. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center ”Outdoors, we’ve got these different gardens, but we’ve got one cool thing which is animals. We’ve got sheep, we’ve got goats, we’ve got chickens and they are all heirloom,” Hale said. “You can bring your kids and grandkids there and they can learn a little bit about what farm life was like in 1860s.” (JW/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The Wood Cabin serves as a reminder that the Atlanta you know today used to be the frontier. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center It tells the story of Native Americans, white settlers and southern folk traditions. (Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center This is on the terrace level of the Swan House. (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The terrace level features an exhibit on Shutze. The architect left his estate to the Atlanta History Center and there, visitors will find some of his collections. (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Mandarin Shutze: A Chinese Export Life (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Mandarin Shutze: A Chinese Export Life (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center From the Atlanta 96 exhibit to American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith to the Bobby Jones Story, there’s so much to see and do that you can’t get it all done in a day. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center The Atlanta History Center is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s free parking, too. And whether you visit as part of a home-school group, with your family or bring out of town guests, don’t forget to allow some time to find the Tiny Door. (Jason Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Some of Atlanta’s most famous places include a seven-inch door from Tiny Doors ATL, an art project that aims to bring big wonder to spaces around Atlanta. Have some fun searching for the Swan House Tiny Door on a visit. (Lamar Ballinger/Atlanta History Center)
Atlanta History Center Between movie mansions, great gardens, trains and tiny doors, there’s plenty of fun to be had while learning how Atlanta became Atlanta. (SON&SONS/Atlanta History Center)
The terrace level features an exhibit onShutze. The architect left his estate to the Atlanta History Center and there, visitors will find some of his collections.
Fans of the “Hunger Games” will recognize the mansion as President Snow’s home in the movie franchise.
While the home represents the Atlanta History Center’s berth, it’s far from its only attraction. The center’s largest piece is this painting that stands 49 feet tall, is longer than a football field and weighs over 10,000 pounds. It’s now a multimedia experience called Cyclorama: The Big Picture.
“Imagine the viewer in 1886, you’ve never seen color photographs, about the only thing that you see are woodcuts in a newspaper, black and white, still images,” the Atlanta History Center’s Gordon Jones said. “You’ve never seen anything this size. You’ve never seen films. And you walk into this space and you’re completely immersed in this scene, and you can’t see where it ends in your peripheral vision and you can’t see where it ends at the top or the bottom. You’re in the middle of the battle. You’ve never seen anything like this before.”
The Cyclorama depicts The Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864. Jones describes the cyclorama somewhere between history and art, fact and imagination.
It was built for entertaining audiences. Visiting and viewing one of these is something people did back in the late 1800s. When it toured northern regions, it showcased a northern victory, which the battle of Atlanta was. But when the traveling production turned south, the cyclorama’s tale was spun another way to showcase the Confederacy.
“You’re not going to see another one of these outside of here and Gettysburg, Penn. They are the only two surviving cycloramas in the United States from this period that are currently on display,” Jones said. This right here is a piece of entertainment and Civil War history.”
One of GA’s most fascinating artifacts is now available for exploration through a virtual school tour! Cyclorama & the Case of America’s Changing History is our latest tour that explores the history of the Civil War from the perspective of The Battle of Atlanta: Cyclorama. pic.twitter.com/F693rWeaIb
The cyclorama showcases several interesting tidbits. There’s only one African American in the painting. Jones theorizes he’s there to symbolize the Union’s cause. Northern general John A. Logan is the largest person in it. He became a celebrity after the war and having him in it gave it some star power. Speaking of star power, another star can be spotted in it, though he wasn’t depicted in the cyclorama for the first 50 years.
“In 1939 when the white stars of ‘Gone With the Wind,’ the Black stars were not invited, to the premiere in Atlanta, Clark Gable, Vivian Lee visited the cyclorama at the behest of the mayor of Atlanta,” Jones said. “Clark Gable supposably said ‘Hey, this is all great, except for one thing, I’m not in the painting.’ So, the mayor did the next best thing, he had Clark Gable sculpted as one of the little figurines and put him on the diorama as a dead Union soldier.”
Atlanta History Center Clark Gable depicted in the Battle of Atlanta Cyclorama. (Jason C. Hales/Atlanta History Center)
Play a game of Where’s Waldo and see if you can spot them all.
“We’re right in front of the Atlanta History Center, in front of the Texas locomotive and right next to the zero mile post that is right here,” Hale said. “This is why Atlanta is here. We’re a railroad town, wouldn’t be here, wouldn’t have any issues with water or anything else because we wouldn’t be so high up in the Piedmont. We’re here because of the railroads and these are the two symbols of Atlanta’s beginning, right here.”
Atlanta History Center (Lindsey A Miller Photography/Atlanta History Center)
And that’s before heading outside to explore some of the historic houses and gardens on the Atlanta History Center’s 33 acres.
Georgia’s oldest surviving farmhouse is on the property. The Smith Farm tells the story of a working slave-holding farm.
Atlanta History Center (Atlanta History Center)
The Wood Cabin serves as a reminder that the Atlanta you know today used to be the frontier and tells the story of Native Americans, white settlers and southern folk traditions.
Explore some of the nature paths, boardwalk and gardens the Atlanta History Center has to offer. See some animals, too.
”Outdoors, we’ve got these different gardens, but we’ve got one cool thing which is animals. We’ve got sheep, we’ve got goats, we’ve got chickens and they are all heirloom,” Hale said. “You can bring your kids and grandkids there and they can learn a little bit about what farm life was like in 1860s.”
Atlanta History Center offers monthly, on-campus programs for homeschool students & their families. Each month explore different subjects through hands-on experiences, performances, historic simulations & a variety of other activities designed for kids from 2nd to 12th grade. pic.twitter.com/9J930oZzDr
The Atlanta History Center is open Tuesdays to Sundays, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There’s free parking, too. And whether you visit as part of a home-school group, with your family or bring out of town guests, don’t forget to allow some time to find the Tiny Door. Some of Atlanta’s most famous places include a seven-inch door from Tiny Doors ATL, an art project that aims to bring big wonder to spaces around Atlanta. Have some fun searching for the Swan House Tiny Door on a visit.