21 Heathwood Circle
Seibels-Wilson House
When erected in 1929 for Dr. Robert Emmet Seibels and his first wife, Alice Crosby Doughty Seibels, this Italian Renaissance Revival style dwelling was considered one of Columbia architect J. Carroll Johnson’s finest residential designs. The landmark property remains arguably one of the most distinct homes within the capital city. In 1933, the recently divorced Alice Seibels traded the Italian villa-inspired residence to Earle and Josephine Fuller Wilson in exchange for 2028 Wheat Street , a property designed by the prominent firm of Lafaye and Lafaye. Although perhaps unconventional by contemporary standards, this transaction occurred in the midst of the Great Depression, when cash was not always readily available to many people.
Standing immediately across Heath Circle from M.C. Heath’s mansion, the Seibels residence, located on a large six-lot parcel, was designed to be an architecturally worthy neighbor. Constructed of Indiana limestone and drawing its inspiration from fashionable northern Italian villas, the imposing house was situated within a setting conceived by E.S. Draper, a landscape architect from Charlotte, North Carolina commissioned to draw plans for its grounds.
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Seibels-Wilson House, 2018. Historic Columbia collection
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Seibels-Wilson House, circa 1930. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
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Seibels family, circa 1930. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
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The curbside appeal of 21 Heathwood Circle carried over into the property’s interior, which was furnished with a collection of fine antiques and accouterments by the Seibels family. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
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Each room’s setting spoke to the family’s interests and tastes and was enhanced by architectural details of fine moldings, fireplaces inspired by classical designs, and in some instances wallpaper depicting natural scenes. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
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In this undated photograph, circa 1929, masons begin to lay the Indiana limestone, some of which stands in the foreground. Behind them is what appears to be a construction shed on which hangs an architect’s blueprint. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
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Construction photographs illustrate the enormity of the Seibels’ project. Clad in scaffolding, the couple’s new home seems to growing out of the tall trees surrounding it. Image courtesy Bob Seibels
