SVA Tour of Homes & Tea

St. Vincent's Annual Historic Tour of Homes & Tea

2010 Tour Sites

(2006) This luxury residence in Columbia Place Condominium's was developed and is owned by Richard Kessler, CEO of The Kessler Collection. This property is located in the historic district on Columbia Square and next door to the historic Davenport House.
     The residence features Brazilian cherry floors, high ceilings with incredible moldings and an open floor plan with a beautiful stone fireplace in the living area. Designed with a chef in mind, this kitchen has a Wolf Stove, Sub-Zero refrigerator, custom cabinets and marble countertops. All of the artwork in the home is original and each piece was personally selected by Mr. Kessler. There are also numerous antique pieces acquired locally including the exquisite gold harp in the living area. Mr. Kessler has integrated modern with historic in this beautiful residence. Numerous charitable events have been held in this home.

(1899) This tour site is a two-story, six-unit, Arabesque-Renaissance style brick building. Located on Troup Square, it was was formerly known as The Beverly Apartments. Notable architectural features include sandstone masonry framing ornate arches, Corinthian-Order sandstone bracketing, high ceilings, much surviving original plasterwork, and an incredibly efficient use of space.
     In 2007, the apartments were converted to condominiums and a major renovation on the building was begun by its current owners, SCAD graduates in the fields of Historic Preservation and Interior Design. The Grikitis Group has renovated the home to its original beauty. Their focus on blending the latest in modern technology with the best craftsmanship of the past is amply evident in this building. Their focus on historic preservation has led to their donating an easement to the façade of the building to Historic Savannah Foundation, in perpetuity, and has also led to the building being recognized as a "Certified Historic Structure" contributing to the significance of the Registered Historic District of Savannah.

(1869) This beautiful Victorian home was built in for Gilbert A. Wilkins. He purchased the lot two years before the completion of the home. Originally, the land was part of the Candler Hospital campus enclosure. Some of the hospital still remains on land located between Abercorn and Drayton Streets. The mansard roof of the home typifies the style of Victorian architecture referred to as Second Empire. As are many homes in Savannah’s Historic District, this one is brick overlaid with stucco, giving it a much different look from its twin house next door. The owners have lived here for well over 30 years. They reared their children in this home and today enjoy welcoming their grandchildren into this gracious house.

(1883) This row house is one of five built by Mr. Octavius Cohen. The entire row was purchased in 1959 by Mr. James Hundy, a house wrecker by trade. Hundy had planned to tear down the houses and retrieve the valuable wood, mantels and windows. Thankfully, he changed his mind and decided to save the entire row. He remodeled and lived in this house. He placed fireplace mantels, medallions and other finishes from mansions he had demolished in this home.
     Hundy's wife sold the house to interior designer Arlene Zezza and her husband around 1997. The Zessas completely renovated and enlarged it. Remodeling was done with great care to save and maintain many of the original features. Original pine floors were meticulously lifted and replaced after wiring and heating and air ducts were installed. The original windows and fireplace mantels were saved as well. The kitchen was enlarged and a rear terrace was added along with a master suite upstairs.
     The current owners’ art collection, displayed throughout the home, features original oil paintings, water colors and sculptures by Southern Artists who have been their friends and acquaintances for many years. Historic Homes of America recently featured this home in a television special which aired nationally.

(1849) Located in Washington Ward, this house was built by Captain Daniel Philbrick, a mariner from New York who was a steamboat captain carrying goods and passengers to and from Augusta, Charleston and Savannah. The building profile is typical of the Greek Revival Period. Captain Philbrick’s wife, Many Ann was active in Charity work and on the Board of The Female Seaman’s Friend Society which maintained a sailor’s home for disabled and destitute seamen. She was also a board member of the Savannah Female Asylum which supported an orphanage in Savannah. Their daughter was a writer who never married therefore there were no descendants.
     The present owners are Bill Durrence, a professional photographer, and Barbara Gatens who is the Director of the Center for OtoNeurology at St. Joseph’s/Candler. The home contains a hallway gallery of some of Bill’s photographs from Africa and Asia. Bill leads international photography workshops and the couple’s home is decorated with a collection of special memorabilia from their travels. The living room contains several of these items including: Maasai warrior shield and dolls from Kenya, East African board game (Bao) from Zanzibar, 19th century torchere with Angel candelabra from Venice, tapestry from Bangkok , a statue from Santorini, Greece and a small painting of a farmhouse in Normandy, France, where the couple was married. The dining room contains artwork by Savannah artist Betsy Cain, a colorful chandelier from Murano, Italy and a collection of plates from various countries in Europe.

(1911) The unusual scale and placement of this home is due to the fact that it was built much later than most other buildings in the neighborhood. The house was built to house the studio of John Walz, a well known local sculptor. He moved to Liberty Street from his original studio on Broughton Street. After the completion of his new studio, Mr. Walz finished building his new home immediately east of the studio. The original shop was only as deep as the dining room. The Halligan sisters, who lived in the row behind the home and knew Mr. Walz, said he would pull his marble slabs to the second floor using the hook which is still in the back of the house, a relic of the building’s former life. Possibly the best known work of Mr. Walz is Gracie which is in Bonaventure Cemetery. Legend has it that Gracie was carved in this shop. The “spite fence” in the front garden is original to the structure.
     After the death of Mr. Walz in 1923, the structure sold and housed a series of business enterprises until it was renovated in 1941 as a private residence. The front, including the columns, was added at that time. In 1983 the property sold and was separated from the residence to the east for the first time. It is affectionately referred to as “Little Tara”.

(2001) This Colonial Revival style home was built by the late philanthropist Mills B. Lane IV, a pioneer in Savannah’s preservation movement and the Beehive Foundation. This new construction took its inspiration from a pair of 1853 homes down the block at 11-17 West Charlton Street. The previous structure on this site suffered from a poorly scaled “post-modern” design and termites.
     This three-bedroom residence is built of Savannah Grey brick, manufactured only on Hermitage Plantation, west of Savannah, from 1820 until 1851. These bricks were made from a grey mud/clay taken from the Savannah River at the plantation. Many homes in Savannah are constructed of these and the bricks were covered with stucco for insulating purposes. Notable on the building are cast stone lintels and sills as well as wood porches to concur with its historic neighbors. Pulaski Square, laid out in 1837, was one of the earliest squares targeted for redevelopment by Historic Savannah Foundation’s Revolving Fund and this fine residence does much to heal the loss of so many historic structures in this neighborhood.

(1845) St. Vincent’s Convent was designed by the noted architect Charles Cluskey and built in 1845 on land that was once farmland. Tour participants will see the Convent’s private chapel, parlor, grotto area and halls which feature beautiful stained glass, sacred statuary and paintings.
     To guide tourists along the way, there will be several “nuns” (Academy students) wearing the three major traditional habits of the Sisters of Mercy spanning the years from the 1840s through the 1970s.
     The collection of memorabilia displayed in Heritage Hall documents Savannah’s history against the backdrop of an all-girls education at the world’s oldest Mercy high school in continuous existence. Displays include needlework by pre-Civil War era students, 19th century scholastic awards and photography spanning the entire 20th century.
     The Convent proves to be a fascinating place whether you’re an architectural history buff or a curious alumna who has always wanted to venture beyond the closed doors of the Convent.

(1870) This home was built for John Williamson, the City Treasurer. It has undergone many transitions over the years functioning as the refractory for St. John’s church, an attorney’s office and even apartments, then restored back to a single-family home in the 1980’s. There are eight fireplaces throughout. Three on the parlor level have original marble, while three on the third floor are faux painted. The garden level apartments each have one brick fireplace. There have been numerous renovations. Originally, this was a three-story brick home. The back of the house ended where walls of the dining room and family room join and beneath these walls still lies the brick that served as the home’s exterior. The original heart-pine floors remain throughout most of the house. In 1911, a fourth story and mansard roof were added to the home and still maintain brick walls and open-beam ceilings.
     The current owners use the addition as a loft space and includes a guest bedroom, game room, and home theatre. The art is a mixture of contemporary and traditional paintings, Miro and Dali prints and glass sculpture. Furnishings include numerous family heirlooms, a large variety of Persian rugs and other antiques that were purchased for the home. The gardens are landscaped with southern flowering azaleas, roses, lilies and gardenias.

PURCHASE TICKETS NOW