“My father owned the joint.”

—Mills B. Lane 

Overlooking Forsyth Park: The Mills B. Lane House 

Savannahian philanthropists Mills B. Lane together with his wife Ann have been mentioned more than once in these Postcards from Savannah. Just last week, I painted the Unitarian Universalist Church in Troup Square (PFS #38) and remarked on the Armillary Sphere & Sundial. The Armillary was gifted to the city during a restoration of Troup Square; an effort led by the generous Lane family. 

The beautiful sculpture became the focal point of Troup Square thanks in particular to the unique artistic vision of the woman Mills B. Lane hired to direct the restoration: Clermont Lee (1914-2006). Lee was so important to the city of Savannah that she was later nicknamed The Saint of Savannah Squares. 

Clermont Lee was the first female landscape architect to open a private practice in Savannah. Her hands helped mold the landscapes of many of the Postcards from Savannah I have already painted: the Juliette Gordon Low House (PFS #32), the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters (PFS #13), and the Isaiah Davenport House (PFS #30). I’m certain I’ll be painting more of her wonderful projects soon, as well.  

I simply can’t help but admire Lee’s quirky sense of humor in selecting a sculpture of turtles slowly but carefully carrying the weight and burden of time on their backs, as depicted by the Armillary Sphere. Clermont Lee was specifically known for her ‘historically correct Georgian planting plans’ for the gardens she redesigned. Her gardens perfectly fit in the place, the culture, and the natural Savannahian environment. 

With a handful of other Savannahian visionaries, Clermont Lee had to fight like hell to save the original Savannah Squares designed by founder James Oglethorpe. By the 1950s many of Savannah’s Squares had suffered terrible neglect and severe deterioration. It seems impossible to now believe, but bus line companies, as well as the local fire, police, and ambulance services, wanted to cut middle lanes directly through each square so they could drive straight through instead of being forced to drive around. 

Fortunately, Clement Lee was there (among others) to halt such disastrous ideas from progressing. 

So, join with me as I remind myself more often to shout out a big ‘thank you’ to Clermont Lee for her devotion to preserving the beauty of this beautiful city that I now have the privilege to paint. 

Mills B. Lane was born in Savannah in 1912. After graduating from Yale College in 1934, he took a job at the Valdosta, Georgia branch of a bank because, as he explained, “My father owned the joint.”  Indeed, the Lane family ran what would become the largest bank in Georgia: The Citizens & Southern National Bank. It would later become part of Bank of America. 

In painting this scene, I am standing in Forsyth Park, directly across the street from this beautiful 14,000 square-foot house. The Mills B. Lane House, built-in 1907, is located at the northern end of the park and has one of the best views in all Savannah: The Fountain at Forsyth Park (PFS #2). 

The Mills B. Lane family, and the Lane Foundation they funded, have provided vital instruments in the preservation of the Historic District of Savannah. And more than one generation of the Lane family funded the unique efforts of Clermont Lee, thereby invigorating Savannah’s landscape architecture.