Victorian Playhouse

While admiring the gardens of Swan House, take a moment to view the beguiling Victorian Playhouse. Built in 1890 of white clapboard with touches of "gingerbread" on its front porch and miniature wrought iron fencing, the house serves as one of the Atlanta History Center's tangible links to the turn of the century.

Made for the children of a prominent Atlanta family, the playhouse changed hands through the years, taking it on a veritable tour of the city's fashionable neighborhoods:

1890: Built by the Goldsmith family, 279 Peachtree Street
1906: Owned by the Seals family, Inman Park
1910: Owned by the Murphy family, Ansley Park
1926: Owned by the Hurt family, Brookwood Hills
1932: Owned by the Ellis family, Buckhead
1980: Donated to the Atlanta History Center by the Ellis family

While the playhouse is not structurally sound enough for children to play inside, plans are underway to restore and relocate the playhouse as the centerpiece of a children's garden.