Noble Hardee Mansion, Gordon Street, Savannah, Georgia

 


Savannah's 1869 Noble Hardee Mansion has long represented the idea of a home without actually being one. Over the years it's been an antiques store, movie set and a classroom. Ideas have been proposed for turning it into a restaurant, hotel, artists' gallery or event space. This frequently photographed house has been the source for a Scalamandré wallpaper design and even a stop on a ghost tour. 


It's successfully been the  "last unrestored grand mansion in Savannah" for decades.


It was only an idea of a home for Nelson Hardee (1805-1867). He was a cotton merchant and member of the Georgia House of Representatives who originally started building a smaller house on the lot in 1860. After his death, real estate tycoon Algernon Sydney Hartridge completed it in 1869. 


It was originally a multi-family house that was later converted to single dwelling.


That might explain the parlor's double fireplaces.



This spacious space was used in the 1995 movie Something to Talk About. Here's Julia Roberts making a scene at a Junior League meeting:


The "Junior League" extras weren't told what she was going to say in order to get genuine shocked reactions when they filmed.

Speaking of genuinely shocked reactions, here's the same room when it served as an antique store by day and a ghost tour destination by night:

It would be scary to navigate that crowded space.


Below is how the room has looked most recently, when Ralston College held classes here. (It was also a classroom for Armstrong Junior College in the 1940's.)


I don't know how they used this room below that could either be a dining room or a library:


If it were mine, it would still resemble a classroom/antiques store, like this:


There's also this room that could be either a dining room or library, whichever the other one wasn't:


Like most grand old mansions, it has a small and narrow kitchen.


I combined two images for its possible re-design, below:


The side porch is also narrow...


but has just as much pretty potential:


There are still antiques being housed upstairs. The mansion has five bedrooms and two bathrooms in 11,231 square feet.






Here's a tour of the third floor and a cupola picture that I found on another site:







The house is beautifully situated overlooking Forsyth Park and Monterey Square.
This side entrance on Bull Street and Monterey Square was the main entrance for Alex Raskin Antiques.



This is the Scalamandré wallpaper that was discovered in the house and re-printed, called Jardin de Chine.


They think a decorator lived in the house in the 1950's or 60's. The paper was originally in this espresso colorway with white and gray leaves, but just like me and everyone else who sees this house, Scalamandré enjoys imagining multiple possibilities for it:


I just got an email from Zillow that the house was sold this week. Maybe this last unrestored grand mansion will be restored at last.

The Old House Dreams listing is here.



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