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Savannah ArchitectureSavannah architecture represents a number of popular styles prevalent along the east coast in the late-18th and early-19th centuries. Savannah's streets are literally an architectural museum. Styles that can be found throughout this city include: Federal, English Regency, Greek Revival, Italianate, Romanesque Revival and Victorian. Descriptions of the various architectural styles are provided Virgian and Lee McAlester in their Field Guide to American Houses and Wikipedia.
Federal - was very common between 1780 and 1850 as a patriotic zeal took over the young Americas. Defining characterists of a Federal style include: rounded fan light over the main entrance, sidelights around the main entrance, windows with double-hung sashes usually have six panes per sash (because large panes were hard to manufacture during that period), and Palladian windows (a large window divided into three parts with the center section larger than the two side sections). The roof was often low-pitched or flat and side-gabled, hipped or center-gabled with cornice emphasized by decorative moldings. Windows are symmetrical to main entrance, and shutters are often included. Paint was normally yellow, ochre or white. An excellent example of this style in Savannah is the Isiah Davenport House at 324 E. State Street completed in 1820. Click here to learn more about Savannah architectural tours. English Regency - was prevalent between 1811 and 1820 when King George IV was too young to rule, thus a regency was installed. Features of this style include white painted stucco facade, symmetrically designed, one chimney on the side of the house, double-hung windows and a hip roof. A wonderful example of the English Regency style is the Owens-Thomas House (now owned by the Telfair Museum) at 124 Abercorn St.
Greek Revival - was the prevalent style between 1820 to 1875 and owed it use to the War of 1812 when England was cast in a unfavorable light in the Americas. Roofs on these houses are typically gabled or hipped with a wide trim on the cornices. Generally the house will have a full-building porch. Doric columns on the front and a rectangular transom over the main entrance are also very common. An excellent example of this style is the Sorrel-Weed House at 6 W. Harris St. built in 1840 by Charles Cluskey.
Italianate - was popular between 1840 and 1900. Features include: multiple stories, very low-pitched roof with eaves supported by corbels, and tall, narrow windows with elaborated crowns. Many houses of this style have a square cupola or tower. An excellent example of this style is the Mercer-Williams House at 429 Bull St. made famous in the best selling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.
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Romanesque Revival - was popular between 1840 and 1890. The walls of these buildings are normally very thick with very few openings. Arches are used for windows and doors, usually supported by stone columns. The finish is variable stone and the facades are asymmetrical. Rounded towers with a conical roof normally round out the look. The Cotton Exchange, built in 1886 and standing at 100 Bay St is a good example of this style.
Victorian - encompasses a number of architectural styles and encompasses the period of 1837 to 1901 during the reign of Queen Victoria. The King-Tisdell Cottage at 514 E. Huntington St, now an African-American heritage museum is an exellent exhibit of the Victoria style.
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