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Appreciating the architecture of the Georgia and South Carolina region takes you back, and can be a sensual experience through time. Throughout the region the neoclassical antebellum plantation house is what sets the tone. Antebellum architecture is characterized by majestic Greek pillars, expansive balconies, formal ballrooms, covered porches, and imposing staircases. In short - class and 19th-century high society.
The region's major cities are populated with an eclectic mix of architectural styles, from antebellum plantations and townhouses to more modern styles. Nowhere is this mix of old and new more prevalent than in Atlanta, a thriving city for more than 150 years.
Atlanta Architecture
Atlanta played only a minor part at the beginning of the Civil War, but by 1864 General William Tecumseh Sherman had set his sights on taking the city. It was he who laid siege to the city before occupying it for 10 weeks. Upon departure, Sherman torched all the major buildings in the city, including vast swathes or residential areas and downtown. As a result, the architecture of Atlanta does not include a great deal of antebellum houses.
One good example of antebellum architecture in the Atlanta area is the Tullie Smith Farm. This plantation was originally located east of the city, in nearby DeKalb County, but the entire grounds were moved to the Atlanta History Center in the Buckhead neighborhood in 1969. The farmhouse is remarkable for its simplicity, a frame cream-colored house with a red brick chimney and a wide porch.
Before the Civil War, architecture was mainly limited to Federal and Classical styles, with grand columns and open balconies. After the war, and more around the turn of the 20th century, architecture developed according to more Victorian and exotic styles.
A lovely example of post-Civil War architecture at its most genteel is Swan House, located in the neighborhood of Buckhead on West Paces Ferry Road. Named thus for its use of the swan motif in many of the rooms, the house was built in the Second Renaissance Revival style and is considered the best work of Philip Trammell Schutze, one of Atlanta's top early-20th century architects. The estate along with the Baroque-styled gardens were completed in 1928 for the Inman family, and it is a fine example of the tastes of Atlanta's affluent.
Located on Washington Street in Atlanta's Downtown, the Georgia State Capitol was constructed in 1889 in a Classical Renaissance style; it's reminiscent of the Capitol in Washington DC with the addition of a gold-plated dome. The building has undergone many renovations since its early years, but it thoroughly retains its classical feel. Statues of famous Georgians grace the interiors, and Miss Freedom adorns the dome's pinnacle. Much of the building materials used to create the Capitol, such as marble and gold, were quarried or mined from within the state.
Midtown's Fox Theatre is such an amalgam of styles that its early critics called the edifice a “prostitution of architecture.” It was originally built in the late 1920s for the Shriners, but they ended up not having enough money to have it finished. So, to make it happen, William Fox leased the large auditorium for a movie theater.
It's had its ups and downs, but today the Fox Theatre is an historic landmark and an architectural wonder. Complete with minaret and dome, it combines such non-Western styles as Neo-Middle-Eastern Eclectic, Neo-Middle-Eastern Exotic, and Islamic Revival. The interior is replete with rooms in such fantastic styles as well. Today the Fox regularly holds concerts, and tours are also available of its opulence. A favorite attraction inside is Mighty Mo, which happens to be the second-largest theater movie organ in the world.
The 1904 Romanesque Revival Rhodes Hall resembles Rhineland castles, and incorporates both Victorian and Romanesque styles.
Savannah Architecture
Savannah just missed the destructive path of Sherman's army after President Lincoln personally ordered the general to spare the city. The Davenport House was almost destroyed to make way for a parking lot, but locals managed to save the building from destruction as well as many others in the 2.5-square-mile Historic District. The area now houses over 1,000 Federal- and Regency-style buildings. Some of the more interesting buildings include the Victorian Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, the Greek Revival-English Regency Owens Thomas House, and the First African Baptist Church, which is, quite literally, the first African American church.
The Owens Thomas House stands as a landmark in Savannah architecture. It was built by William Jay, one of the first professionally-trained architects to practice on this side of the Atlantic. It was built in the second decade of the 19th century, and it's an excellent example of the English Regency style that flourished in those days. The curiously-designed balconies, the curved inside walls, and the charming backyard garden make this one of Savannah's best.
Athens Architecture
The University of Georgia opened in 1801 and along with the rest of Athens managed to escape the serious destruction Sherman and his army caused in other parts of the state. As a result there are still many beautiful antebellum houses in the area. One of the best displays of antebellum mansions is along Greek Row on Milledge Avenue. Other gems in Athens include the Federal-style Church-Waddel-Brumby House and the Greek Revival Taylor-Grady House, both dating back to the 1840s.
The Antebellum Trail
The Antebellum Trail highlights the antebellum architecture in Macon, Clinton, Milledgeville, Eatonton, Madison, Watkinsville, and Athens, and it runs mostly along State Road 129 from Macon to Athens. You see a large number of stately estates right from the highway.
Charleston Architecture
There are a number of architecturally attractive houses open to the public in Charleston. None of these are remotely new, of course; they're mostly in the Greek Revival style, the Classic Revival style, or the Georgian style. Georgian refers not to the state, but rather to King George III of England, who ruled in the late 17th century.
The Joseph Manigault House introduced the Federal style to the city when it was erected in 1803. Nearby is the Nathaniel Russell House, which was also built in the Federal style and showcases a spectacular, self-supporting spiral staircase.
Another classic is Middleton Place Plantation, built in the Georgian style. The mansion is huge and imposing, while the grounds feature butterfly lakes and landscaped gardens dating back to the 18th century.
One of the oldest still-extant houses in Charleston is the 1772 Heyward-Washington House. The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon on East Bay Street was built in 1767 as an exchange and customs house. Both patriots and pirates have been guests in the dungeon and the exhibits now housed there are very entertaining for people of all ages.
Finally, don't miss a walk down Rainbow Row, a perennial Charleston attraction. These row houses date to the 18th century, and they're painted in surprising pastel colors. It's no wonder the city has been compared to New Orleans!
Outside of Charleston to the north is Drayton Hall, a plantation house. This is an extraordinary example of true Palladian architecture, built in the first half of the 18th century. The symmetrically-divided staircase rises from the central entrance, a bit like what was made famous in “Gone with the Wind.”
Moving on to the modern, a wonder to behold (and drive across) is the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, which connects downtown Charleston to the city of Mount Pleasant. It boasts a main span of 1,546 feet, making it the longest cable-stayed bridge in all the Americas. It can withstand winds of 300 m.p.h., and an earthquake of up to 7.4 on the Richter Scale. What makes the bridge so aesthetically pleasing are the two diamond-shaped towers from which the cables connect to the bridge. They loom 575 feet above the bridge.
Architecture in Beaufort, South Carolina
North of Hilton Head, Beaufort's antebellum mansions are epic. Stroll the avenues, especially east of Carteret Street. The Beaufort Style is known for its airiness, and a mixture of Georgian, Colonial, Greek Revival, and Spanish styles. To sum it up, a house in this style is like a plantation house accommodated for the city.
The crown jewel of this collection is John Mark Verdier House, a Federal mansion. A highlight is the sensational columned, two-storied portico, with a staircase on either side leading up to the first story. It is full of artifacts, and it was used as the local Union headquarters after the South's fall in the Civil War.
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