Savannah Architects: William Strickland

Nathaniel Greene in Johnson Square

Savannah has had some of the most revered architects of the 19th and 20th centuries leave their mark. One architect that is found in most art history books is William Strickland. Strickland heralded from Philadelphia but made his mark in the South too. Strickland was a renaissance man as he designed the sewer system of Philadelphia, was an accomplished painter, and illustrator for newspapers and the master of thirteen different styles of architecture.
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He is credited with bringing the Greek Revival style to America. His first building of note was the Second United States Bank in Philadelphia. He design was chosen in a contest of architects and was the first grand example of the Greek Revival style. Although the Greek Revival style is what literally puts him in the art books he would master thirteen other architectural styles. His mastery of the Neo-Egyptian style would greatly influence his contribution to Savannah’s landscape. He would make his greatest mark in the South with his design of the Tennessee State Capitol. He considered it his masterpiece. While it was being built he realized he was dying so he designed his crypt into the design of the Capitol. This is where his remains are today in the Tennessee State Capitol.

While he was in Nashville he also was commissioned to design the Second Presbyterian Church. It was this church that he used and showed his mastery of the Neo-Egyptian style. His reputation and visibility in the South would prompt Savannahians to recruit him to design the first monument in Savannah.

The leaders of Savannah had started on a campaign to become noted for their monuments in the 19th century. They proposed two monuments: one to Casimir Pulaski, the Revolutionary War hero who had died in the Battle of Savannah and the other to Nathaniel Greene, the Revolutionary War hero who had led the Colonial army in the South and was Gen. George Washington’s second in command. Because of Greene’s role in ridding the South of the British he was offered land outside of Savannah as an appreciation of his work. This plantation would be called Mulberry Grove. Mulberry Grove would later, under the supervision of Greene’s wife Catherine or Caty as she was called, be the place that Eli Whitney would improve the cotton gin to make cotton become King in the South.

The Marquis de Lafayette was on a grand tour of America. Because of the death of most of the original founders, this visit was hoped by the sponsors to recreate the atmosphere of those heady early days of our founding. The Savannah leaders in this spirit wanted to erect the two monuments in time for his visit. They could not raise enough money in time for both monuments so decided to make one monument in honor of the two. This monument would later become the Nathaniel Greene Monument in Johnson Square. To design the monument they chose the great and accomplished William Strickland (you were wondering when I would return to him). Strickland, who was using the Neo-Egyptian style, decided on the obelisk we currently see in Johnson Square. The most famous obelisk the Washington Monument would not be erected until 1848 eighteen years after the Greene monument in 1830.  In fact only a few obelisks could be found in the United States at the time. The obelisk and Neo-Egyptian style were not familiar to the Savannah audience and their response was one of incredulity. We hired one of the greatest architects in our country and he came up with this monument. In the years to follow they would act to add prominence by doing various things to add to heft to the monument.
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But the obelisk remained and Lafayette was able to lay the cornerstone on his visit to Savannah. Today we have built the second monument to Casimir Pulaski. The Greene Monument sits in Savannah’s first square (Johnson Square). It was rededicated when the Pulaski Monument was finished to only Greene in a ceremony with Jefferson Davis as the master of ceremonies. This was also when the bronze plaques were added to make the monument not such a stark obelisk. The bodies of Nathaniel Greene and his son have been removed from Colonial Cemetery and reinterred under this monument. Today the monument stands in memory of Greene but in its day it was a cutting edge monument by America’s great architect William Strickland. 
      
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Second Bank of the United States

Tennessee State Capitol

Exterior of Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville

Interior of Downtown Presbyterian Church in Nashville