What secrets do these old walls hold? Welcome to the Gatekeepers Cottage. It is the oldest home on Isle of Hope. This incredible home started with humble beginnings. This paradise is found just outside of Savannah Georgia.
Originally, this was a mid-19th-century plantation plain house. It sat on the Skidaway River. It wasn’t nearly as grand as it is today. In the 1920s, owners tried to renovate it into a Federal-style home.
Architect Norman Askins says it started as a two-story possum trot house. This design had two rooms. They were connected by an open breezeway. All of this was under one roof. The 1920s homeowners embellished the home with Federal-style details. These details included exterior columns trim windows and doors.
Isle of Hope became absorbed into the suburbs of Savannah. The home lost its vernacular character. It became full-time living. It adopted the style of the day. Askins took naive historical ambitions poorly executed in the 1920s and turned them into reality. Modern additions made in the late 19th and early 20th century were torn down. They were in poor condition at the rear of the home. There was a 3-inch slope difference in the floor. It ran from the front to back of the house. Various outbuildings on the property were totally rotten and unusable.
The Gatekeepers Cottage sits on Isle of Hope. It has beautiful views of the intracoastal waterway. In 2019 new homeowners purchased the property. Designer Mary Marsteller perfected the home for a family of five. The project took four years. Builders Esposito Construction Inc. and Reddin Construction completed it. Landscape architect Witmer Jones Keefer crafted the landscaping. Milling Land Design assisted.
The home is a forever home to raise their family. Owner Price Mingledorff is Marsteller’s niece. Mingledorff’s husband dreamed of living on the waterway. This street holds a special place. It is one of the oldest streets in Savannah.
Many areas of the house were rebuilt. This happened after extensive efforts to preserve it. The front portico was rebuilt. There was extensive rot. A large addition was added to the main house off the back. There is also a guest house pool house detached garage and party barn. These are in the very rear of the property.
The front four rooms remained the same size. Only the dining room continued to serve the same purpose. The architects stayed true to its 19th-century Savannah architectural heritage. They studied pattern books of the era. Architecture was in flux. It went from Federal of the early Republic to a fascination with Greek architecture. The stairs were poorly built. A sweeping circular stair was built. It had 19th-century details. The interior trim was updated. It reflects the period the house was originally built.
The team updated it for today’s living. They added a new kitchen and extensive back of house. There is now a laundry and mud hall. The home has been restored to its former glory. It once served as a summer retreat. It was a place to get away from the heat of Savannah. Porches and verandas capture breezes off the river. Spanish moss-laden live oaks provide restful shade.
Askins wanted to keep the romance of the location. From the dock you can appreciate how bucolic and tranquil this home really is. The Noble Glen House was retained as a caretaker gatekeeper cottage. It survived even when the larger house burned down. So ends the story of the Gatekeepers Cottage.