Vestavia (estate)

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Vestavia was an Roman-inspired estate constructed by George Ward on the summit of Shades Mountain. Built in 1925, the home was modeled on the Temple of Vesta in Rome. The estate was designed by William Leslie Welton.

Ward also built elaborate gardens next to the house, including carved hedges, ponds, and a statuary. He also built templelike houses for three dogs on the property. The focal point for the gardens was the Sibyl Temple, a garden gazebo which was to serve as the monumental headstone for Ward's grave. However, Jefferson County law changed and prevented him from being buried there; he is interred at Elmwood Cemetery instead.

Vestavia was an attraction among Birmingham residents. Ward held numerous garden parties there, where servants would dress as Roman soldiers and guests would come wearing togas. Local residents would also drive near the home, and Ward occasionally had public tours of his estate. Harpers magazine editor George Leighton described one such occasion in his 1937 study of Birmingham:

In the afternoon, over beyond Red Mountain which walls in the sprawling city, a local capitalist has opened his grounds to visitors. His mansion, built in imitation of a Roman temple, is cylindrical in shape, made of bits of ore cemented together. By the steps of the mansion stand two black servants in white jackets. One has a felt hat under his arm, the other carries a cap in his hand. Each has pinned to his jacket a green-felt label embroidered in yellow with the Roman standard, the letters SPQR, and his name; Lucullus for one, Caius Cassius for the other. Under a tree is an elaborate sort of Roman throne, tinted green and bronze. Above, swinging from a branch, is a radio concealed in a bird house. Nearby are two dog houses, built like miniature Parthenons, with classic porticoes and tiny pillars. One is labelled Villa Scipio. There is a pool filled with celluloid swans and miniature galleons and schooners. Scattered about are more benches, urns, and painted-plaster sculptures. Among the shrubs and pink-rose hedges trail a procession of men and women, marveling at the splendors, but tired and oppressed by the overpowering heat. Toward sundown the crowd thins out; the Fords and Chevrolets go crossing down the hill.

A codical dated April 13, 1940 stipulated that the 10-acre estate be given to Jefferson County or the city of Birmingham as a public park. However because his debts exceeded his assets, the executors of the estate listed it for sale at about $30,000. It was purchased by developer Charles Byrd who opened a restaurant in the building as an attraction for the new residential subdivision of Vestavia Hills.

Byrd hired decorator Viggo F. E. Rambusch to assist local architect Charles Snook with plans for the restoration of the estate in 1948. The project included new interior murals to match the artwork found in the Roman original. A chandelier and benches were removed from from the Sibyl Temple in the garden, as well.

Demolition and relocation of Sibyl Temple

The suburban City of Vestavia Hills was incorporated in 1950. That same year, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church purchased the property of the estate and began holding worship services on the site. They used the house for offices and Sunday School classes.

As early as 1968 the Vestavia Hills Baptist was making plans to demolish the home in preparation for the construction of a new church building. The Women's Civic Club of Birmingham, the Women's Committee of 100 and the Women's Chamber of Commerce joined in opposing the demolition plans and wrote and telephoned area leaders to plea for its preservation. The effort failed, however, and the house was demolished in 1971 to clear the way for the church's new sanctuary.

The church donated the Sibyl Temple to the Vestavia Hills Garden Club, which moved it to its current location on the mountain at Highway 31. The Temple serves as a silhouette for the city of Vestavia Hills, marking the northern entrance into the city. The temple has suffered from deterioration due to the elements as well as some vandals, but was recently restored and opened again to the public.

References

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