Notable Homes: Mercer House

Mercer House, Savannah, Georgia.

Some readers of The Devoted Classicist may not think they have heard of Mercer House in Savannah, Georgia, or its most famous owner James Arthur Williams.  It is one of the most beautiful of the mid-nineteenth century Italianate mansions in town and the late Mr. Williams was a well-known antiques dealer whose shop was in the carriage house.  I first heard the tale of the man and the house related in a fascinating story at a dinner party given by the late Mills Lane, 4th, at his Manhattan apartment.  (Mills was the founder of the Beehive Press and a noted philanthropist, especially for preservation causes in Savannah, but that is another story).  Mills knew the story well, of course, but the guest who had the rest of us so enthralled that evening in 1994 was John Berendt, a former editor of "New York" magazine and columnist at "Esquire."  And the true story of High and Low Society in Savannah entwined with sex and a fatal shooting was about to be published in his book MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL.

The book cover.  Photo from Google Images.

Jim Williams, 1930-1990, began to buy, fix-up, and sell historic homes beginning in the mid-1950s.  Over a period of 33 years, he renovated 50 houses in Savannah and the surrounding Low Country area.  Williams bought Mercer House in 1969.

James "Jim" Arthur Williams.
Photo:  Sotheby's.

Mercer House was designed by New York architect John S. Norris, who also designed the Savannah Custom House, the Andrew Low House, the Green-Meldrim House, and the Unitarian Church.  Construction began in 1860 for General Hugh W. Mercer, the great grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer, but was halted during the Civil War.  Newspaper accounts of the period reported that wood that could be removed was done so to create temporary shacks for Union soldiers.  (General Sherman made his headquarters in the Gothic Revival Green-Meldrim house, now open as a museum, and his officers commandeered many more houses in town).  After the war, Mercer House was finally completed for John Wilder in 1868.  But it had fallen into disrepair by the time Williams bought it;  it had been vacant for 10 years after being the club house for the Shriners.

The Entrance Hall of Mercer House.

The original tile floor for the Entrance Hall remained, as did the semi-circular staircase and skylight.  But many interior architectural details were created by Williams during a two-year renovation.

The staircase and skylight with lens at Mercer House.

The Drawing Room, looking towards the front of the house.

The Drawing Room, showing the fireplace on the side of the house.

Looking into the Music Room from the Drawing Room, and into the Library beyond.

Williams was acquitted of the murder of his some-time companion Danny Hannsford after an unprecedented Georgia record of four trials.  Finally the fatal 1981 shooting was ruled a lover's quarrel and not pre-meditated murder.  Just a few months after the acquittal, Williams died of a heart attack.

The Library, the scene of the fatal shooting.

The big-screen adaptation of the story was directed by Clint Eastwood and released in 1997.  Kevin Spacey played Williams; Jude Law, Hannsford; and John Cusack, the magazine journalist.

The Dining Room of Mercer House.

The house is currently occupied by Williams' sister Dorothy Kingery, a doctor of sociology, who opens the house to the public for tours, $12.50 for adults and $8.00 for students.  For more information about visiting, see the website. 

Jim Williams' bedroom at Mercer House.

Although the interior decoration may not be considered up to par with designers such as Albert Hadley or Stephane Boudin, there were some interesting individual furnishings and they will be featured in the next post of The Devoted Classicist.  These photos, unless noted otherwise, were featured in "Architectural Digest" magazine and can be seen in the 1979 book THE WORLDS OF ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, HISTORIC INTERIORS.

There is currently a house for sale in Savannah, also designed by the architect John S. Norris, and it is featured on a recent post of My Little Housing Blog.  Be sure to leave a comment as the blog's author, writing from Finland, would really be interested in your thoughts.