We Speak the Name:
Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds
His Love for Black Art, and Culture Lives on in Atlanta’s
Hammonds House Museum
By Anaré V. Holmes
When esteemed anesthesiologist Dr. Otis Thrash Hammonds purchased an Eastlake Victorian home in Atlanta’s historic West End neighborhood in 1979, he was looking for a showplace.
The construction of the original portion of the house he bought occurred in 1857 and marked the beginning of the West End’s period of significance, according to the National Register of Historic Places.
Affectionately known as O.T. Hammonds, the prominent doctor had a knack for transforming spaces, starting with his own station in life. Born in Chattanooga, TN in 1929, Hammonds was the oldest of four sons born to Mr. Avery and Mrs. Elenora Hammonds. The couple moved to Birmingham, AL shortly after O.T.’s birth. After his father died when he was still a young boy, Hammonds became a source of strength and support for his mother, family papers said. His intelligence and countenance caught the attention of a college administrator who offered him a scholarship to attend Selma University. He would eventually graduate from Lincoln University and later obtained a medical degree from Meharry Medical College in Nashville. Once he was honorably discharged from the United States Armed Services, he relocated to Atlanta in 1966. He quickly made a name for himself as a caring and compassionate medical professional. He reached a pinnacle in his career when he was appointed Chief of Staff and later Chief of Anesthesiology at Southwest Community Hospital. His passion for the arts and patronage of emerging artists eventually inspired him to create a home where his vast collection of Black and African art could take center stage.
“He wanted to buy a home where he could display his art collection,” said Karen Comer Lowe, Executive Director of the Hammonds House Museum. “He bought the property at 503 Peeples Street, but the Victorian house was in disrepair. He began renovating it to bring it back to life.”
Most of the home’s vintage lighting fixtures were missing and it was in need of cleaning and painting, with a broken staircase to repair. Comer Lowe said Dr. Hammonds sourced materials from around the world, including Victorian period chandeliers and wallpaper to transform the space into his dream home.
“He even worked with a renowned craftsman in Germany to make an elaborate railing and staircase,” she said. “Once the renovations were complete, he moved in and placed artworks and paintings in every room.”
Only the best would do for a place that would eventually house 250 art pieces from Dr. Hammonds’ personal collection, including works by Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, Georgia artists David Driskell and Nellie Mae Rowe; and, the earliest known Robert Seldon Duncanson painting in the world. The 1841 painting by Duncanson, entitled Portrait of a Mother and Daughter, is typical of the limner portraiture works created by itinerant artists-for-hire of the day.
Hammonds would often host lavish dinner parties and Sunday tea parties where political and community leaders mingled with scholars and artists in opulence and style. The fact that people today can visit the museum and experience its old-world charm, beauty and learn the stories behind such significant visual masterpieces can be attributed to visionaries who valued the creative expression of pioneers and trailblazers in Black art and culture.
“Dr. Hammonds was ahead of his time as an art collector. He collected works by established artists, but also had a very good eye for spotting emerging artists,” said Comer Lowe.
At age 55, Dr. Hammonds health took a turn for the worse and he retired early from his career in medicine. An obituary found in Hammonds’ homegoing program from Tuesday, June 25th, 1985, does not list a cause of death, which many speculated was the result of complications from HIV/AIDS.
In fact, Comer Lowe offered no comment when asked, “Was Dr. Hammonds publicly open about his sexuality?” in our efforts to confirm media reports that he was homosexual. Given the severe stigma attached to HIV/AIDS in the early 1980s, it makes sense that a man of Hammonds socioeconomic status and standing in the community—that he would be extremely private and protective of his personal life and reputation. Yet, his achievements as a brilliant healthcare provider, hospital administrator, community leader and arts ambassador cannot be denied. He is among a generation of Black Queer men and women who helped make Atlanta the inclusive cultural mecca and destination city it became.
Upon his death, it was Hammonds’ wish that when his family sold his home, they would sell his art collection along with it. Comer Lowe said his family respected his wishes and found a buyer who would keep his collection together.
The Fulton County Board of Commissioners, under the leadership of Chairman Michael Lomax, purchased the house and art collection in an original plan for it to become an African American research library. When the library board passed on that option, Edward S. Spriggs, a former director of The Studio Museum of Harlem for seven years, stepped in with another plan, according to Hammonds Museum staffers. Spriggs, after relocating from New York, accepted a position in Fulton County government’s Public Arts Department.
“[Mr. Spriggs] was watching the ongoing debates about how to use the newly acquired building with great interest. He submitted a proposal for an African American Museum to the board of commissioners,” said Comer Lowe. The plan was adopted and The Hammonds House Galleries, became a 501(c)3 organization and opened in 1988. Its name later changed to Hammonds House Museum.
Today, the museum is more than an art gallery. Along with the original 250 works of art from Dr. Hammonds’ personal collection, the museum has continued to add artwork to the collection and now boasts more than 450 works dating from the mid-19th century by artists from America, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Staff is at work to launch two new exhibits expected to run from February 4th to May 15th of 2022. These exhibits include: Donald Locke: Southern Mansions and Related Paintings from the 1990’s and Portraiture from the Hammonds House Museum Permanent Collection.
“What makes this place so special is that the museum is in a pre-Civil War house and that makes it an interesting and unique setting,” said Comer Lowe. “People experience art here in a different way. They feel like they are stepping into someone’s home.”
A home fit for a king.
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