For those of you who intend to visit Marietta for the November event and perhaps would like to see some of the other ‘sites’ during your visit, here’s something to add to your list: The Georgian Terrace Hotel! Located in nearby Midtown Atlanta, the hotel is the perfect place to visit in honor of the 70th anniversary of Gone with the Wind. Here’s a quote from the hotel’s website about the history of the establishment: “The Georgian Terrace had an elegance Atlanta hadn’t known before. When the hotel opened its doors in glamorous Midtown nearly a century ago, it opened them to some very notable guests, including President Calvin Coolidge, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Tallulah Bankhead. In 1939, The Georgian Terrace hosted the premiere gala of Gone with The Wind. Every decade brought more notoriety to the hotel. In the 1970s, concert promoter Alex Cooley turned our Grand Ballroom into the famed Electric Ballroom, hosting concerts by musicians such as Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, and Patti Smith.” The official website for the hotel is located at: www.thegeorgianterrace.com/

It’s definitely on my list of ‘things to do!’ And to give you a preview of this site, here’s Carolyn’s comments about her recent stay at the glamorous hotel! Thanks for sharing, Carolyn!

My husband and I stayed at The Georgian Terrace Hotel over the weekend for our wedding anniversary.

I had never been inside before; it was beautiful! It has gone through many renovations (and was in fact boarded-up and set for demolition for some time in the 1980′s) since 1939 when Clark & Carole and the cast of GWTW were there. Here’s an article they had hanging in the hotel business center:

Frankly my dear, Clark Gable would enjoy The Georgian Terrace Hotel today much more than when he last visited. Back in 1939, he didn’t get to hang his tuxedo jacket in a walk-in closet, brew a pot of coffee, microwave himself a snack, sprawl across a comfy couch and check out what’s showing on cable TV.

This landmark Atlanta building stands proudly in Midtown across Peachtree Street from the Fox Theatre. After an interlude as an upscale apartment complex, the building reclaimed its historic role as a luxury hotel. The conversion left a wonderful legacy for guests: All 320 guestrooms are suites, with huge closets and full kitchens.

Let’s explain the Gone with the Wind reference. Gable, Vivien Leigh and other GWTW stars stayed at The Georgian Terrace while attending the movie’s premiere(the movie debuted at the now-demolished Loew’s Grand Theater).

Today’s Georgian Terrace has been listed to the National Registry of Historic Places. It presents an intriguing blend of Old South charm, timeless elegance, and surprisingly contemporary architectural touches. The original 10-story brick building, completed in 1911 and described as “Southern style Parisian” in design, received a new 19-story wing during the apartment conversion that was made in the early nineties. It provides a dizzying view if you walk inside the main entrance and look straight up.

The space between the two wings forms the lobby. You’ll be charmed by sweeping staircases, ornate banisters, towering columns, tile floors, and other architectural flourishes.

You could just cocoon yourself in your suite. It’s certainly comfortable enough, with chairs you can sink into and framed artwork on the walls. There’s even a full-size clothes washer and dryer.

Clark Gable may have been a rich and famous movie star, but you get a better suite than he did.

Here’s the circular entrance the article mentions, picture taken from the penthouse level looking down:

We walked through as much of the “old section” as we could. Here are some pics of the hallway and an old safe that is built into the wall:

When we first arrived, there was a high school reunion going on in the Grand Ballroom (where the GWTW reception was held) so I couldn’t go in. Fortunately, by the time we left the hotel lounge after midnight, the reunion was over and the staff was cleaning up the ballroom, so I was able to get some pictures!

And here’s the plaque that is outside the door:

There is a smaller ballroom at the front of the hotel that is named after Margaret Mitchell:

This is funny…outside, while you are waiting for the valet to bring your car around, there are these windows on the side of the building where the hotel cafe is. Even though they are blurred and abstract looking, I recognized them immediately as Vivien Leigh waving to the crowd after speaking at the microphone in front of the hotel:

There are also giant black and white pics from the premiere like that in the restaurant, but we didn’t eat there and couldn’t get in.

I must admit, while we were strolling through the “old section” with its marble and vintage tile and gorgeous light fixtures, we reached an area that both my husband and I deemed as creepy. It was a room that only employees use to bring food to the ballrooms. The crown molding was gorgeous and ornate, the ceiling was a bit molded and there were still old furnaces against the wall. Something about that room creeped us out so badly that not only did we retreat quickly but we didn’t even feel comfortable taking a picture in there!

All in all it was lovely and I could just imagine them all standing in the ballroom…I want a time machine….

Oh here are two exterior pictures as well:

Car parked in front of the Georgian Terrace which says that Clark and ViviEn (yes they misspelled it here too!) rode in while in town: