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William Gibbes House Tour
computer-generated transcript - may not be 100% accurate
" -I must say this is one of the larger front halls I've ever seen."
" -Yes, it is, it is pretty large. It's about 17 feet wide and I think 45 feet long."
" -Now, is it useful to have front hall quite that big?"
" -Oh yes, it's used for many things. The children do cartwheels in it and play games. It's a wonderful reception room."
" -And sometimes I set up tables and have serve dinner in here."
" -So you can really entertain?"
" -Yes, I guess. It's used all the time."
" -Do you mind telling me, do you think this is an original staircase?"
" -1772 when the house was built?"
" -Yes, I have in on good authority that this is original. It's very unusual."
" -It is unusual with all this wrought iron work."
" -Uh-hum."
" -Excellent, I have not seen anything quite like it."
" -Uh-hum."
" -And what about the wallpapers? I can't help but comment on them."
" -The wallpaper is by a company, a French company called Zuber."
" -Uh-hum."
" -And it was put in about 1930"
" -Very colorful."
" -Uh-hum"
" -Now the doors are a little, the woodwork around the doors, are a little confusing to me. I can see the Georgian design here,"
" -But the overdoor is odd."
" -Well the thing that gives this house its unique character are the 3 periods of architecture, Georgian and then the Adam over the door was put in, in about 1800 and then of course, 1930, other things were done."
" -So there was an updating."
" -Yes"
" -During the Adam period when the house was maybe 30 or 40 years old."
" -Exactly right."
" -Oh, its beautiful, looks Chinese"
" -Thank you."
" -Doesn't it?"
" -Yes it does, it has a Chinese feeling to it."
" -Tell me about the woodwork in here, this is gorgeous."
" -All the woodwork you see is hand carved, and it was"
" -And is it back to the 1800s"
" -No, the room was destroyed in the earthquake of 1886."
" -And subsequently, in 1930 all this work was done."
" -So this is from 1930, it's a beautiful fireplace and these doors are great."
" -This door is a false door to balance the other one, as is often done in a Georgian house."
" -So, indeed this room is about the same proportion as your library?"
" -Yes it is."
" -It's the same"
" -And did you say that originally, it was not the dining room?"
" -Now, we think very likely that it was the men's withdrawing room, and the reason we think that is because of the figures on the mantle. They often used allegorical figures to describe the use of the room, in this case we have Mars, the God of War "
" -And his chariot being pulled by lions."
" -The manly art of warfare."
" -Yes."
" -So, gentlemen's withdrawing room in a Georgian house, that after dinner, they would have come to this room to smoke cigars and play cards, maybe?"
" -Yes."
" -And the ladies would have gone to another room."
" -Exactly right."
" -It's just how it works."
" -Very civilized. Now, is there a ballroom in the house?"
" -Yes there is, it's upstairs, would you like to see it?"
" -Wonderful."
" -Alright, come on."
" -Susan, this really seems to be a unique staircase railing,"
" -For a Georgian house, especially."
" -Yes, this wrought iron is very unusual and the mahogany hand rail, too"
" -It's so slim, yeah"
" -Yes."
" -And of course a perfect Palladian window, on the landing."
" -Andrea Palladio, I think, is a 16th century Italian architect who first came up with the idea of flanking a round tufted or arched window like this with 2 flat top windows of narrower proportions, and it's so successful."
" -Yes, [unk]"
" -It's lovely."
" -Oh, I'd love to take a walk in your garden, sometime"
" -Well, you must come again and I'll show it to you."
" -I'll take you up on that."
" -Alright."
" -So we have a 2nd floor landing"
" -And the wallpaper is continuing up, isn't it?"
" -Yes, we were so lucky that this costly paper was put on such a large space when the house was done in 1930."
" -In the 30's renovation."
" -Yes."
" -Now, this doorway, the jamb, the top up there again has Mars, right?"
" -There he is again, that's right."
" -So this dates to, I would assume, the Georgian period of the house."
" -Exactly right, exactly right."
" -And this is the ballroom?"
" -Uh-hum."
" -The ballroom is 17 feet wide and 35 feet long."
" -Beautiful proportions, the ceiling is exquisite."
" -It is in the Adam's style, a coved ceiling and it dates from 1800, the work that was done then."
" -And then the chandelier? "
" -The chandelier was made for the house at Tiffany's in 1928."
" -Really?"
" -So this room really does combine the Georgian and the Adam, as well as 1928, 1930."
" -Yes it does."
" -Marvelous, really."
" -Yes"
" -And your portrait is great, now when was that painted?"
" -Five years ago. I sat for it in this room. It was done by Mark [unk] from Atlanta."
" -Lovely."
" -Thank you."