The Olde Pink House is one of the most famous restaurants in Savannah. Featuring an expertly crafted menu of fine southern cuisine, a reservation at one of their dining tables is the most coveted treasure of Savannah and all her visitors. While many know of a vast history within this pink mansion, many do not realize the true expanse of the events these walls have witnessed, nor how many faces the Olde Pink House has worn over the centuries.

The mansion was originally built in 1789 for James Habersham Jr., a member of one of Savannah’s founding families. It was built with bricks crafted from red clay, and plastered over to accommodate a smooth, white wall. However, as Savannah’s heavy rains seeped into the plaster; it caused the red brick to bleed through, giving the house a rosy tint. Terrified of being the laughing stock of the city due to his quirky home, Habersham had the pink plaster painted over with white paint. It was no use, however. Over time, the walls reverted back to their pinkish color, despite many layers of paint.

After Habersham’s death in 1799, the property switched hands, and the tale of its many faces began. In 1812, the mansion became the first bank of Georgia. It was called Planters Bank, and it remained in service until after the Civil War, when Union General Zebulon York used it as his personal headquarters. Later on, it became an attorney’s office, and then a bookstore, before settling into the hands of Alida Harper-Fowlkes. Alida opened a tearoom in the mansion, and instead of painting over the pink exterior of the house like so many owners before her, she encouraged this breach of the status-quo. 

She painted the exterior a brilliant pink color in the 1930s. This accepted change of appearance not only gave the Olde Pink House its name, but it seemed to appease the mansion as well, as if it had wanted to be pink all along. In the mid-1940s, Jim Williams of the famed Mercer-Williams House bought the home. He restored it, touched up the pink exterior, and then resold it for $60,000 to a man named Herschel McCallar and his partner Jeffrey Keith. Keith and McCallar had purchased several other homes in the area in an attempt to fully restore them to their original glory. 

They nearly gutted the pink mansion before adding in new electricity, plumbing, and even a modern kitchen without compromising the Victorian charm of the home. They added in support beams, giving the mansion a much needed facelift, and restored the fine Victorian staircase. Keith had the brilliant idea to utilize the new staircase by opening an antique shop on the second floor. Together, McCallar and Keith curated hundreds of rare and beautiful 18th century English antiques to inhabit the second floor of the southern mansion. After McCallar’s death in 1990, Keith held on to the mansion for two more years before selling it to the Balish family with all the beautiful antiques included.

The Balish family used the antiques to decorate the pink house, giving it its face that we know and love today. They turned it into the incredible restaurant that has gained international fame today. Diners from all over the world step into a quaint and charming Victorian mansion to make memories that last a lifetime. From the delicious food and wine to the delicate antique paintings that adorn the walls inside the Olde Pink House, we are surely lucky to see her prettiest face yet.