Callanwolde Fine Arts Center

Callanwolde, the former manor home of Charles Howard Candler, heir to the Coca-Cola fortune, is a rare treat for visitors. Originally built on 27 acres of lush rolling landscape, the magnificent Gothic-Tudor style estate also includes formal gardens, a carriage house, a gardener's cottage, and two greenhouses.

Located in the Druid Hills section of Atlanta, Georgia, the estate and gardens are listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Today, only 12 acres of the original property remain.

The Candler family made their home here until 1959, two years after Mr. Candler's death, when Mrs. Candler donated the estate to Emory University. The passage of time took its tole on the grand estate and it was rescued from destruction by a neighborhood organization and reopened as a community art center in 1973. The formal gardens and sculptured lawns have been restored and maintained by the DeKalb County Parks Department and local garden clubs. In 1983, the Callanwolde Foundation took over responsibility for the operation of the fine arts center.

Designed by Henry Hornbostel, the Emory University architect, the interior arrangement has an open and inviting quality. The focal point of the 27,000 square foot mansion is the enclosed courtyard. Another intriguing feature is the music system built around a 3,752 pipe Aeolian organ.

The wings of the house form the three-sided arcade courtyard. Planted in grass with perimeter plantings of boxwood, ivy and tulips were added in the 1930s. Brick pathways and a small fountain completed the picture. Over the years the inner courtyard was transformed to a completely enclosed space with herringbone tweed brick pattern on the floor, and used for special events at the art center.

Christmas at Callanwolde is an annual tradition for Atlanta residents. Beginning the first two weeks of December, the mansion is festooned with holiday trimmings, shimmering lights and festive decorations by members of the American Society of Interior Designers. The courtyard café serves leisurely meals and local performing artists ring in the holiday season, while the strains of the Aeolian pipe organ play in the background. Funds from the event are used to operate the center throughout the year.

Much of the spacious property remains wooded with nature trails wandering through native trees, scrub brush and shrub. Two greenhouses were originally part of the estate, one near the mansion, behind the carriage house and the other adjacent to the gardener's cottage. The only one to survive years of neglect and decay is the greenhouse near the mansion, now called the Conservatory.

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