Savannah's Architectural Treasures

Savannah is perhaps best known for her delightful, unique, and historic architectural treasures.

Savannah's Historic District is one of the largest in the U.S. with thousands of architecturally significant buildings, including examples of Federal, Victorian Regency, Greek and Gothic Revival, and Italianate architecture.

Architectural Styles

From the simple Colonial style to the Medieval-influenced cathedrals, to the gingerbread accents of the Victorian period; examples of most of America’s 18th and 19th century prevailing architectural styles can be found in Savannah.

Federal Style:
Isaiah Davenport House
Oliver Sturgis House

Georgian:
Pink House

Gothic Revival:
Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist
Green-Meldrim House
Temple Mickve Israel

Greek Revival:
Champion-Fowlkes House
First Bryan Baptist Church
First Baptist Church

Italiante:
Kehoe House
Mercer-Williams House
Andrew Low House

Regency:
Owens-Thomas House
Telfair Museum of Art and Sciences
Ships of the Sea Museum

Romanesque Revival:
Cotton Exchange
Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory

Second French Empire:
Hamilton-Turner Inn

Ornamental Ironwork

Savannah is well known for her magnificent ironwork. Beautiful scrolled designs appear on many of the buildings in cast-iron balconies, stair railings and window guards. Ironwork can be found in many of the squares, and surrounding monuments and fountains. Some very unique designs can be found around town where iron storks serve as newels, iron dolphins as waterspouts, and iron griffins as foot scrapers.

          

Many of Savannah's historic homes and public buildings exhibit marvelous gates, doors and columns of ornate ironwork.

Architect William Jay was partial to ornamental ironwork and used it for the handsome cast-iron balcony of the Owens-Thomas House. The Isaiah Davenport House features a wrought iron railing and scrolled central panel on the stoop of the house. One of the most wonderful examples of ornamental ironwork can be found on two homes on Monterey Square at 423 and 425 Bull Street. Built in 1858 for Charles Rogers, a Presbyterian minister and rice planter, these homes are taller versions of houses still standing on the west side of Gramercy Park, New York, which were built in the 1840s.

The beautiful Kehoe House on Columbia Square, built by William Kehoe of Kehoe Ironworks, dates from 1893. Kehoe did not incorporate the traditional ornamental ironwork design, but he did use cast iron for all of the exterior trim.