Swan House

Sixty years after Atlanta’s destruction in the Civil War, a limited prosperity had returned to the city. The Swan House is an example of how one prominent family lived during the 1920s and 1930s.

The heir to a large cotton brokerage fortune amassed in the post-Civil War "New South" era, Edward Inman was a wealthy Atlanta businessman with interests in real estate, transportation, and banking. After their Ansley Park home burned in 1924, he and Emily, his wife, hired the architectural firm of Hentz, Reid, and Adler to design a house for them in Buckhead, a residential neighborhood located about six miles north of downtown.

Philip Trammel Shutze was the architect for Swan House and its gardens, as well as for many other important buildings in the city. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Columbia School of Architecture, and the American Academy in Rome, Italy. Shutze adapted Italian and English classical styles to accommodate 20th-century living for Swan House, which many consider his finest residential work.

The Inmans moved into their new home in 1928; just three years later, Edward Inman died suddenly at age 49 from a heart attack. Alone in the large house, Emily Inman asked her older son, Hugh, and his family to live with her. The elegant adult retreat became a home for children and grandchildren. Memories of Swan House in the 1930s feature parties, relatives, their stories, and a succession of southern, home-cooked meals.

Mrs. Inman lived in Swan House until 1965 during which time she made only minor changes to its interior and exterior. The house, furnishings, and 28-acre estate were purchased by the Atlanta Historical Society in 1966 and opened to the public the following year. Most of what you see belonged to the Inman family.

Tours of the Swan House allow visitors to explore the many rooms of this beautifully restored historic home including the entrance, Breakfast Room and Hall, Library, Living Room, Dining Room, Kitchen, Butler's Pantry, Mrs. Inman's Bedroom and Bathroom, Grandchildren's Bedroom, Guest Bedroom, and Mr. Inman's Bedroom.

Additionally, a stroll around the grounds of the Swan House provides many breathe taking views complete with gardens and fountains.