Visiting Savannah, GA? Add this “scandalous” mansion to your trip

William Jay’s Regency Transformation of Antebellum Savannah

Savannah got its first real taste of high style when William Jay stepped off the boat in 1817. Just 25 years old, this Bath-born architect brought fancy English design to Georgia’s cotton kings.

Through his sister’s connections, Jay soon built mansions with oval rooms, marble fireplaces, and cast iron from Liverpool.

The Telfair home stood out with its bold curves and clean lines. But then came the Panic of 1819. As Savannah’s rich went broke, Jay packed up and left.

Today, his buildings still grace Savannah’s streets, waiting for you to discover the elegant bones of America’s first “showy town.”

This Young English Architect Brought Regency Style to Savannah

William Jay was born in Bath, England in 1792 to a well-known church minister.

He learned to build by working for architect David Riddall Roper in London from 1807 to 1813, studying Greek and Gothic styles.

Jay showed talent when his design for Surrey Chapel Almshouses appeared at the Royal Academy in 1814. He built the Albion Chapel in London in 1816, with Greek columns and a round dome.

Despite his skills, Jay couldn’t find enough work in England’s crowded building market.

Family Ties Opened Doors in the American South

Jay’s sister Anne married Robert Bolton, whose business friend Richard Richardson helped Jay come to America.

Richardson asked Jay to design a mansion while still in England, and workers started building the Richardson House in November 1816.

Jay left Liverpool on November 5, 1817, and reached Savannah on December 30 on the ship Dawn. At just 25, he arrived as one of the first trained architects in America and the only one working in the South.

Savannah’s Elite Quickly Hired the New Architect in Town

Jay found quick success among Savannah’s rich cotton sellers. His mansions became status symbols during Savannah’s cotton boom.

Within months of arriving, he got jobs from the city’s wealthiest families, including the Bullochs, Habershams, Telfairs, and Scarbroughs.

Jay faced no rivals when he arrived. He sold himself as a trained “architect” practicing the “science” of building, not just a “builder” like many Americans at that time.

The Telfair House Showed Off Jay’s Fresh Designs

Alexander Telfair hired Jay to build a fancy house at 121 Barnard Street in 1819. Inside, Jay created unusual circular, oval, and curved rooms instead of square ones.

He designed both the main floor and basement kitchens as useful spaces that matched the latest English trends.

The finished mansion cost $18,000 by 1820, a huge amount then. The Telfair House was one of several grand homes Jay created in 1819.

Jay Brought Fancy Materials Straight From England

Jay used the best English materials for his Savannah buildings, giving them a true European look.

He shipped in marble fireplace fronts made by top craftsmen in London. His buildings had stone railings and column tops from the famous Lambeth factory.

Jay also used better English paint and wall coatings that lasted longer in Savannah’s damp weather. Iron parts shipped from Liverpool added special touches to his buildings that local workers couldn’t copy.

His Buildings Changed Savannah’s Skyline in Just Two Years

The Richardson House (later called the Owens-Thomas House) was finished in 1819 with a unique side porch.

The William Scarbrough House, done the same year, had Jay’s trademark round and oval rooms inside.

The Archibald Bulloch House, built between 1818 and 1819, amazed visitors with its winding staircase ringed by tall columns. Jay also designed the Savannah Theatre in 1818.

Even his smallest work, the Robert Habersham House, cost $7,000, showing how much people paid for his designs.

President Monroe Slept in a Jay-Designed Mansion

President James Monroe visited Savannah in May 1819 and stayed at the newly built Scarbrough House. The paint on the mansion walls was barely dry when the president arrived.

Savannah grew fast during this time, with three times more people than in 1794. The city grew from six squares to fifteen between 1791 and 1819.

Visitors called Savannah “the showy town” because of its striking new buildings, many drawn up by Jay.

Economic Disaster and Fire Struck Savannah in 1820

The Panic of 1819 hit Savannah hard as cotton prices dropped by more than half, ruining the local economy.

Then on January 11, 1820, fire tore through the city, burning 463 buildings between Broughton and Bay streets.

The fire caused $4 million in damage and left hundreds homeless. Jay’s unfinished U.S. Customs House burned to the ground.

With money tight, new jobs dried up as Jay’s wealthy clients faced money troubles.

Jay’s Wealthy Clients Lost Everything in the Economic Crash

William Scarbrough went to jail for debt in fall 1820 and sold his Jay-designed mansion after living there just one year.

Archibald Bulloch sold his Jay mansion on March 7, 1822, for $19,000. Most of the mansions Jay designed became bank property or boarding houses within four years.

The Bolton family lost their fortune and never got back on their feet. Richard Richardson watched his debts grow while dealing with his wife’s death in 1822.

Charleston Couldn’t Save Jay’s American Career

Jay opened an office in Charleston in early 1820, hoping to find new customers.

He got a job working for the South Carolina Board of Public Works and designed the William Mason Smith House between 1820 and 1822, plus plans for a courthouse.

But Charleston also suffered from the nationwide money troubles, and building projects stopped. Unable to find enough work to live on, Jay left America in 1822, going back to England through Paris.

The Bank Building Was Jay’s Last Savannah Legacy

Jay’s final Savannah commission was the Branch Bank of the United States in 1821. The early Greek Revival design featured a six-columned Doric portico that made it stand out in the cityscape.

Richardson’s position as bank president helped Jay secure this important commission. The building became nationally famous and appeared in many period engravings.

The bank stood for over 160 years before it was torn down in the 1980s, erasing the last major public building Jay designed in Savannah.

Visiting Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, Georgia

The Telfair Academy at 121 Barnard Street showcases William Jay’s Regency architecture that made Savannah “the showy town” in the early 1800s.

You can visit Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm for $30 (adults). Your ticket works for seven days at all three Telfair Museums.

Take the Mansion to Museum tour to learn how the Telfair family home became an art museum. You can take photos without flash, but no tripods allowed.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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