A cane wing chair (right), circa 1820-1840, is a perfect example of the Chinoiserie style, which first appeared in the 17th century. Chinoiserie was the
European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and Eastern Asian art forms from decorative arts to music and architecture.
HOMETOWN LIVING AT I TS BEST 63
The present owner would not allow anyone to come
inside the house to see the layout, but Edward Jones
discovered the original plans for Labatut recorded in the
Library of Congress. The layout was almost identical to the
Croft-Brooks house, which made using the interior from the
Croft-Brooks house and the exterior design from Labatut
a perfect fusion of Jack and Margaret’s dream. Finally,
Edward Jones could draw up the plans for Tranquilla.
No one is exactly sure what happened between the
Ladsons and the Joneses. Through the years, Dorsey heard
speculations among family members that the disagreement
between them was about the time frame in which Jack and
Margaret wanted Tranquilla built. Ed Jones would produce
an initial rendering of the house, but Dorsey’s grandparents
then hired another architect from Savannah named Carl
Helfrich. Helfrich was responsible for many restorations
of homes and buildings in Savannah. The construction of
Tranquilla was carried out by J. D. Williams from Uvalda and
began in December 1965.
In a tragic twist of fate, Margaret never got the chance
to live in her house of serenity and rest. “She was driving
back from Savannah with my Uncle Brice; he was fourteen