The picture-perfect front door of this circa-1853 abode on West Gaston Street opens to a home full of festive beauty.
Written by KATHRYN DRURY WAGNER
Photography by ANDREW FRAZIER
PREPPING FOR HOLIDAY entertaining can be nerve racking enough. What appetizers to serve? Is the silver polished? Do I need to demo that guest bathroom?
Imagine, then, opening your historic home to hundreds of wrist-banded guests participating in a walking tour. Homeowners Cady Conklin and Scott Patterson gamely took on this challenge during the 2024 Holiday Tour of Homes, hosted by the Downtown Neighborhood Association (DNA). Conklin says she was grateful to the DNA committee and really enjoyed working with them.
In 2025, DNA is celebrating the holiday tour’s 50th anniversary. The tours are not only a way to tippy-toe through some of downtown’s most magnificent private homes and landmark buildings, but also fund the DNA Community Grant Program. Monies raised during the 2024 Holiday Tour of Homes went on to support a number of organizations, such as Frank Callen Boys and Girls Club, Union Mission, Massie Heritage Center, Green-Meldrim House, Tharros Place, and many others.
Conklin and Patterson are relatively new in town, having moved here in 2021 from Huntsville, Alabama. Both are retired; he was a radar engineer and she is a former government contractor. Conklin’s passion for Savannah dates back to her first visit around 1995 after being seduced by “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” and later, she found it wasn’t hard to convince Patterson of the town’s charms, either.
Their circa-1853 home on West Gaston Street was originally constructed as one of four townhouses on the row, with two pairs each that mirror each other. Of the four, this townhome shows the most faithful representation of what they would have originally looked like when new, according to Matthew Hallett, of Hallett & Co., who has been working with the couple on interior design and renovations. The columns, however, are 1960s additions, Hallett explains, while the other three townhomes in the row have more elaborate updates that date to the Victorian era.
The home’s front entry is utterly charming, with a front door painted in Parma Gray by Farrow & Ball, a rare front courtyard, and cast-iron wirework fencing that once bordered Forsyth Park.
Stepping inside, the foyer features an elegant original staircase, accented by damask wallpaper from Farrow & Ball (the pattern is called St. Antoine). The home was previously owned and renovated by now Charleston-based designer Monica Lavin, though Conklin and Patterson have continued to refine the home’s appearance and make it their own space. For example, in the cozy library, woodsy themes were decided on by Conklin, who when we interviewed her, was in the throes of a powder room wallpaper project.
In the double parlor, contemporary works by artists such as Savannah College of Art and Design alum Daniel E. Smith blend with traditional architectural details such as original plaster crown molding and heart pine floors. Bring on the Christmas stockings, as this home has 12 original fireplaces — a reminder that staying warm in a 19th-century winter was not as easy as turning a dial on a thermostat. The fireplaces are non-working today as they were originally for coal.
Throughout the home, light pours in from multiple windows. Conklin, by the way, has been reglazing those windows. She has a knack for DIY and isn’t afraid to try her hand at tasks like that, or regilding a large, formerly black mirror frame with gold leaf.
The parlor boasts a piano bought at auction and an antique English secretary that is a special find. It dates from the late 18th to early 19th century. “I obsessed over it for almost two years,” says Conklin, who purchased it at Jere’s Antiques, one of the couple’s favorite sources for furniture. Lighting is by Visual Comfort & Co.
The large Christmas tree in the parlor has ornaments from Conklin’s grandmother, supplemented with fun eBay finds. “I like to scour,” says Conklin. She is 40% Norwegian, and the couple likes to make lefse, a traditional soft Norwegian bread made with potatoes, during the holidays as another nod to family tradition.
Entering the dining room, there are original doors with etched glass panels — it’s wonderful to see those delicate details have survived, considering how many families have lived within the home over the past 170-plus years. The dining room was added on to the home during the late 19th century, probably around 1885. At that point, the kitchen was still located in the lower part of the house and a dumbwaiter was used to hoist the meals upstairs. (A galley kitchen, now on the main level of the home, was a 20th-century addition.) Conklin has turned the dumbwaiter space into storage for the dining room. A stunning Circa Lighting chandelier anchors the dining room; Conklin notes that each bead was individually cleaned to get that vibrant glow. The buffet is from Jere’s Antiques.
Upstairs, another sweet Christmas tree can be found in the primary bedroom, which features relaxing hues of icy blue and soft green. The wallpaper is by Farrow & Ball and the fabric by Thibaut. Custom built-ins, done by the previous owner, offer plenty of storage space.
The couple redid the upstairs office, which now features room for Conklin’s hobbies, including photography and knitting. The stately hearth in that room was originally within Bull Street Commons, a large commercial building that once stood at Bull and Pearl streets and deconstructed by Re:Purpose Savannah. Conklin is delighted to have the hearth featured in her home. “It’s fantastic to salvage a piece that is part of Savannah history,” she says.
The city’s deep architectural and cultural roots are, says Conklin, “why I love Savannah. It’s crazy to think of the life that went on within these walls. It’s a responsibility to keep it up, to honor the buildings, and the builders.”
When we checked in with her recently, Conklin says the home projects continue. The couple is now working on remodeling the entire garden level — and yes, she’s still glazing those windows.
Want to attend the 2026 Holiday Tour of Homes? Keep an eye on dnaholidaytour.com, as tickets usually sell out by late summer.
DETAILS
- Neighborhood: Historic Landmark District
- Year built: 1853
- Year purchased: 2021
- Timeline of renovation/construction: Ongoing
- Number of bedrooms: 6
- Number of bathrooms: 3.5
- Square footage: 4,500
- Builder: John Scudder
- Interior designer: Hallett & Co.
- Furniture: Jere’s Antiques, Clutter Furnishings & Interiors
- Paint: Farrow & Ball
- Lighting: Circa Lighting/Visual Comfort & Co.
- Select art: Daniel E. Smith, Jack Leigh
