The Pink House: Ladies Who Lunch

You’ve all heard of the term “The Ladies Who Lunch”; the stereotypical definition for this reads as follows:

Well-off, well-dressed women who meet for social luncheons, usually during the working week. Typically, the women involved are married and non-working.

No judgment here; if you can snag a situation like that, go for it! Here’s what one of those groups of ladies might have looked like back in 1952, outside The Old Pink House Restaurant on Reynolds Square in Savannah, Georgia. Purses, hats, and gloves. These ladies have it all covered.



The Olde (the “e” was added at some point) Pink House is a Daveland favorite.



My menu choices rarely deviate when I go (why mess with success?). The BLT salad to start, which includes a fried green tomato:



…and the Fried Pork Chop. Words cannot even begin to describe it.



Know any ladies who lunch?

See more Pink House restaurant photos at my main website.

Savannah: Then and Now

A few then and now shots for one of my favorite cities, Savannah Georgia. The first photo is from August 1966 and shows the historic Chatham County Courthouse on Wright Square. Built in 1889, the Architect was William G. Preston.

Uh oh...somebody’s getting a ticket! Who says the old days were all fun and games?



The building was used until the 1970s when a new courthouse was built. Today it is used for administrative and legislative offices. And can you believe with ALLLLLLLLLLL my trips to Savannah I apparently do not have one single shot of the entire building? Well, it’s true. You’ll have to settle for the clock tower; Doc Brown and Marty are probably around here somewhere.



One of my favorite Savannah restaurants is the Olde Pink House; in February 1964 it was known as the Georgian Tea Room:



Let’s get a better look at the signage:



And a contemporary shot; it looks more pink!




The Greek Revival style Philbrick-Eastman House was designed in 1844 by antebellum architect Charles B. Cluskey on Savannah’s Chippewa Square and was known as “the finest home in the city.” Extensively renovated in the 1950’s to create commercial office space, this August 1966 image shows it being inhabited by the The Atlantic Mutual Fire Insurance Company.





A closeup of one of the vintage cars parked nearby:



A 2015 rehabilitation project made way for this historic property to accommodate The Parker Companies corporate offices. Here’s a contemporary shot from 2013:



See more Savannah, Georgia photos at my main website.

A Very Pink History

Faithful readers of this blog know what a nut I am for The Pink House, one of my favorite restaurants in Savannah, Georgia. The recent acquisition of a vintage slide has spawned today's post, which shows this Savannah staple through the years. First up is a previously posted shot from 1958 when it was known as the Georgian Tea Room. This June 1966 shot shows the Tea Room framed perfectly by the trees in Reynold Square.



Yup...still serving Tea.



This Spring 2005 image is from my very first trip to Savannah and the Pink House.



Yes, back when my hair still had color.



Two more contemporary views of the exterior:





And of course the main reason I go here every time I visit Savannah: the infamous Fried Pork Chop.



Get more Pink at my main website.

Tribute to a Lady

It was with great sadness that I read the news a few months ago that The Lady Chablis had passed away. I had purchased tickets to her show at Club One in Savannah for November, and obviously she didn't make it. If you aren't familiar with "The Lady" or "The Doll" (as she liked to be referred), then you obviously haven't read the best selling book "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." She was by far the biggest hit of all the "characters" John Berendt made famous, along with the sleepy historic city of Savannah, Georgia.

Although my ticket for Club One was no longer good, I was able to see a special showing of "Midnight" while in Savannah at the historic Lucas Theatre.



Before the show, there was a tribute to Chablis:



Author Berendt wrote a little piece in the program:



Some of her gowns were on display in the theatre's lobby:







Before the show started, slides with trivia were played on the big screen:



The applause began as soon as the opening sequence rolled out. Although the movie was not a favorite of mine, seeing Savannah on the big screen while in Savannah surrounded by locals was a thrill.



Chablis stole the spotlight in every scene that she was in.



She put Fred and Ginger to shame.



Local hairdresser Jerry Spence was in attendance; he can also be found in the book and the movie.



Doug and I had the pleasure of seeing Chablis for the first time back in 2008 at Club One. As soon as she saw those ones she was in love with Doug.



Naturally she wanted him up on stage.



Keep those ones coming, honey.



Now they are both in heaven; I sure hope Doug has enough ones.



The back of the program had Chablis' famous quote:



Many more Savannah, Georgia photos at my main website.

Haunted Savannah, Pt. 2

Known as "The Pink House," this Savannah restaurant favorite is also known for its haunted history. This vintage 1958 photo shows it when it was functioning as the Georgian Tea Room.



The house itself is not necessarily scary looking. Supposedly its pink hue comes from the red bricks whose color continually seeped through to the white stucco, much to the consternation of its original owner, James Habersham. Now they just paint the place pink and therefore don't have to wait for the bricks to do their magic.



The basement area is where most of the ghostly apparitions have been seen. According to the Haunted Houses website, patrons and employees have seen slave children ghosts running around the basement area who like to throw dice against the wall in the hallway by the bathrooms. These children used to take wine bottles out of their places behind the bar and hit the bartender with them. The wine bottles are now chilled in a glass-enclosed refrigerator.



Some entity liked to lock women in the bathroom. The management finally took the lock off the door, which curtailed the problem somewhat, though a force does on occasion hold the door shut for a bit, keeping the annoyed patron stuck inside for a short time.



About the only thing that haunts me about this place is its Fried Pork Chop.



Need more Pink? Visit my main website.

A Real Main Street Cinema: The Lucas Theatre

It might look like Disneyland's Main Street Cinema, but The Lucas Theatre in Savannah is for real. This photograph shows the exterior of the building back in 1924, when D.W. Griffith's film about the American Revolutionary War, "America," was being enjoyed by patrons. The film was released in February 1924, just three years after the December 1922 grand opening of the Lucas.

A detailed shot shows the marquee, vintage car parked in front, and patrons buying tickets for the film that starred 1920's stars Neil Hamilton (who played Commissioner Gordon in the 1960's TV series "Batman), Carol Dempster, and Lionel Barrymore.



Zooming in even more, this photo takes on more of a human scale, with the three young children at right, intently watching the person who took this photograph.



A few contemporary shots that I took on previous visits to Savannah show that the theatre has changed very little over the years, thanks to herculean restoration efforts:





You can watch the movie "America" on youtube:



See more vintage & current Lucas Theatre in Savannah photos on my Reynolds Square web page.