Tag Archives: Architecture of William Jay

Telfair Academy, 1818, Savannah

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Statues of historical figures positioned outside a yellow building, featuring columns and a balcony, with landscaped greenery in the foreground.

The Telfair family’s Regency townhouse, which after a bequest to the city became the first art museum in the American South, was designed by architect William Jay, and stands as one of his few surviving designs.

A contemporary portrait of Alexander Telfair of Savannah, Georgia.
Alexander Telfair, portrait, public domain image via Find a Grave

Originally designed for Alexander Telfair (1789-1832), a bachelor son of early Georgia governor Edward Telfair (1735-1807), the house eventually passed to his sister Mary Telfair (1791-1875), who was known for her outstanding art collection.

Contemporary photograph of Mary Telfair of Savannah, Georgia.
Mary Telfair, contemporary photograph, public domain image via Find a Grave

Mary, who never married and was the last of the Telfairs, left the home to the Georgia Historical Society to be operated as an art museum. It was remodeled for use as a museum in 1886 by architect Detllef Lienau. It is one of three properties that now make up the Telfair Museums. Her bequests also included the Mary Telfair Women’s Hospital, now a part of St. Joseph’s Candler Hospital.

Front view of the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences building, featuring classical architecture, four statues on pedestals, and a wrought-iron fence.

In front of the building are sculptures of Phidias, Rembrandt, Rubens, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Perhaps the most famous work inside the museum is Sylvia Shaw Judson’s Bird Girl sculpture, known for its appearance on the cover of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.


National Historic Landmark

William Scarbrough House, 1819, Savannah

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Front view of the historic William Scarbrough House, featuring Greek Revival architecture, columns, and elegant landscaping.

Though it has been extensively modified, the William Scarbrough House is nonetheless a significant example of Greek Revival domestic architecture in Savannah. Built in 1819, it was designed by English architect William Jay, the most accomplished architect of his time in Savannah. Not long after its completion, the Scarbroughs hosted President James Monroe when he visited Savannah.

William Scarbrough (1776-1838) was a wealthy shipping merchant and the first president of the Savannah Steamship Company. He was an investor in the SS Savannah, which, as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, in 1819, was internationally famous and a source of great pride to its namesake city. Unfortunately, the Savannah‘s glory was short-lived and an initial lack of interest in this new mode of travel led to financial ruin for its investors, including Scarbrough. After being converted to a sailing vessel, the Savannah sunk off Long Island in 1821. William Scarbrough went into a deep depression around this time and was essentially bankrupt, though a wealthy relative who purchased his home allowed him to remain there. He worked with Upper Darien Steam Rice and Saw Mill in McIntosh County in the late 1820s and early 1830s, returning to Savannah in 1835. He died in New York City while visiting his son-in-law, Godfrey Barnsley, in 1838.

From 1873-1962, the Scarbrough House was owned by the City of Savannah. During this time, the West Broad Street Colored School was housed here.

The Scarbrough House is now home to the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.

National Historic Landmark

Owens-Thomas House, 1819, Savannah

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owens thomas house savannah ga photograph copyright brian brown vanishing coastal georgia usa 2016

Designed by William Jay, one of the first professional architects in the United States, for prominent Savannah cotton merchant Richard Richardson, this house is considered one of the most important of the English Regency style in America. Construction began in 1816 and was completed in 1819. When Richardson fell on hard times, not long after building the house, it passed from the possession of the Bank of the United States to Mary Maxwell, who operated it as one of the premier boarding-houses in the city. So central to the social scene it was that the Marquis de Lafayette lodged and made a speech from here on his 1825 American tour. From 1830 until 1951 it was owned by George Welshman Owens and his descendants. Owens, a wealthy lawyer and planter, also served as a congressman and mayor of Savannah. His granddaughter, Miss Margaret Thomas, bequeathed it to Telfair Academy in 1951. Today, this designated National Historic Landmark is open to the public and operated by the Telfair Museums.

owens thomas house museum savannah ga photograph copyright brian brown vanishing coastal georgia usa 2016

National Historic Landmark