Simmons House
(ca. 1913)
The stately Simmons House was built in part to promote the sale of lots in Hermitage Court, an exclusive subdivision within the Myers Park streetcar suburb.
625 Hermitage Ct, Charlotte, NC 28207
The Simmons House is one of the oldest houses in the Myers Park neighborhood. The Neoclassical Revival style home was constructed for one of Charlotte’s most reputable attorneys, builders, and real estate investors: Floyd Macon (F. M.) Simmons and his wife Eleanor Wilson Alexander Simmons (1882-1973 and 1891-1977 respectively). The house was intended as something of an advertisement to launch the sale of lots within Hermitage Court. That neighborhood – under development by F. M.’s namesake Simmons Company real estate firm – was situated near the heart of the Myers Park streetcar suburb. It was positioned as an exclusive subdivision for the city’s elite within an already prestigious neighborhood. Announced in February 1912, shortly after F. M. and Eleanor’s November 1911 wedding, Hermitage Court featured the largest lots in Myers Park. The original plans for F. M.’s enclave included only sixteen lots, with eight lots on either side of the winding boulevard that bisected the neighborhood. Eventually, Hermitage Court encompassed twenty-five building lots.
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To ensure a built environment consistent with the surrounding Myers Park community, F. M. hired the same renowned urban designer and landscape architect – John Nolen (1869-1937) and Earle Sumner Draper (1893-1994) – who developed Myers Park for George Stephens (1873-1946) and his Stephens Company to design Hermitage Court and its infrastructure. F. M. chose the Hermitage Court name to evoke the historical heritage of North Carolina native and U.S. President Andrew Jackson, whose stately Nashville, Tennessee, home was named The Hermitage. Indeed, the stone entry gateways for F. M.’s exclusive community were designed to resemble as near as possible the gate entrances of Jackson’s home. Hermitage Court included several unique improvement and amenities, including paved sidewalks, parks, playgrounds, electric streetlights, and sewer, gas and water lines.
Surprisingly, the Simmons Company did not hold its stake in Hermitage Court for long. The company planned to sell its holdings to the highest bidder at a September 1913 public auction, but inadequate demand prompted cancellation of the sale. The lots were eventually auctioned off on individually and in groups to both private and corporate buyers. It is possible that F. M. sold off his Myers Park subdivision to help finance another real estate venture, a lavish three-story retail and luxury apartment structure on East Trade Street. Like his company, F. M. and Eleanor also did not keep the Simmons House for long, opting to downsize to a smaller house just down the street at 522 Hermitage Court, where they lived for several decades and raised three children. Their youngest child, Floyd Jr. (1923-2008), eventually resided at 404 Hermitage Court after a colorful life that included service with the 10th Mountain Division in World War II, Olympic bronze medal performances in the decathlon in both the 1948 London and 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games, and a Hollywood film career that included the role of Commander William “Bill” Harbinson in “South Pacific” (1958). The Simmons House remains a private residence.