The Armstrong Kessler Mansion (formerly known as Armstrong House ) is a nationally significant example of Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style located in the Savannah Historic District . The structure was built between 1917 and 1919 for the home of Savannah magnate George Ferguson Armstrong (1868–1924). It was owned by the Armstrong family from 1919 to 1935. Afterward, the structure and grounds served as the campus of Armstrong Junior College . Threatened with demolition, the Historic Savannah Foundation purchased the Armstrong House along with five other threatened historic buildings from the college for $ 235,000 in 1967. Once saved, Historic Savannah Foundation sold the Mansion (and Hershel V. Jenkins Hall) at the exact purchase price to preservationist and antique dealer Jim Williams who restored it as his home. Eventually, both were sold to a major Savannah law firm as offices. The mansion was featured in The American Architect in 1919, and listed in A Field Guide to American Houses in 1984.
21-679: Armstrong House , Armstrong Farm , or variations, may refer to: Armstrong Kessler Mansion (Savannah, Georgia) , Savannah, Georgia A. Armstrong Farm , Newark, Delaware Armstrong-Walker House , Middletown, Delaware Armstrong House (Citra, Florida) Armstrong House (Lumpkin, Georgia) George and Susan Guiberson Armstrong House , Winterset, Iowa Robert and Esther Armstrong House , Cedar Rapids, Iowa Armstrong House (North Adams, Massachusetts) Joseph Armstrong House , Lapeer, Michigan John M. Armstrong House , St. Paul, Minnesota Armstrong-Lee House , Monticello, Mississippi, listed on
42-522: A rectilinear grid with north–south and east–west alignments. In a typical ward, the trust lots were set east and west of the square, and the residential lots of the tythings were extended north and south of the trust lots and the square, each tything divided into two rows of five lots and separated by alleys. In the early years of the Province of Georgia , the ward organization was in part military, with each ward's inhabitants organized into militia units, and
63-511: A ten-port shower in the master bathroom. With the acquisition of the Armstrong mansion in 1935 for the home of a city college, initially named Armstrong Junior College, the need for facilities led to the demolition of most of the carriage house and gardens and the construction of Herschel V. Jenkins Hall, also designed by Henrik Wallin. When the property became the offices of Bouhan, Williams & Levy law firm in 1970, Herschel V. Jenkins Hall
84-469: A two-story recreation of the carriage house and the addition of a reflecting pool centered on the carriage house. The porte-cochere , carriage house , and garden pavilion frame a formal garden with fountains and Italian cypresses. Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia) The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the pre– Civil War city limits of Savannah, Georgia . The area
105-607: Is located in Savannah's National Historic Landmark District at 447 Bull Street across Gaston Street from Forsyth Park . It is in Monterey Ward (the center of which is Monterey Square ), one of twenty-four wards laid out in the form of James Oglethorpe's original town plan . Other notable structures on Bull Street in Monterey Ward are the Mercer House and Temple Mickve Israel . Six city lots were acquired to build
126-575: Is three stories over a full garden level with Granite balustraded terraces at each level. A broad hemicycle colonnade extending toward Bull Street offers a prospect of Forsyth Park . Other design features include a porte-cochère that opens into a side garden, an orangery , loggia , and sunporch. The exterior materials are granite and glazed brick. Bronze entry doors were fabricated by Bonachek of New York, with other doors in steel with bronze hardware. Windows were fabricated of steel and bronze by International Casement Company, now Hope Windows, which features
147-850: The Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (the oldest African American Baptist congregation in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in America), the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America), Christ Church (the Mother Church of Georgia),
168-543: The 1962 psychological thriller starring Robert Mitchum , Gregory Peck , Martin Balsam , and Polly Bergen . The house also appeared as the real-life law office of attorney Sonny Seiler in the film Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , a 1997 American crime drama film based on the novel by John Berendt and directed by Clint Eastwood . The present owner, the preservationist-hotelier Richard C. Kessler , who acquired
189-433: The Armstrong mansion, and two existing houses were demolished to make room for the 26,000-square-foot structure. The entire site, including carriage house and grounds, is 0.5 acres. The mansion was designed by the architect Henrik Wallin in 1917 in an Italian Renaissance Revival style with interior elements of various established and experimental styles. The ten-bedroom home has nearly 26,000 square feet of living area. It
210-507: The National Register of Historic Places Armstrong-Adams House , Salado, Texas, listed on the National Register of Historic Places Armstrong House (Ripley, West Virginia) Francis Armstrong House , Salt Lake City, Utah Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Armstrong House . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change
231-793: The National Register of Historic Places Foster–Armstrong House , Montague Township, New Jersey, listed on the NRHP in Sussex County Louis Armstrong House , Queens, New York Porter Houses and Armstrong Kitchen , Whitakers, North Carolina Armstrong Farm (Crane Township, Wyandot County, Ohio) , near Upper Sandusky, Ohio Joseph Armstrong Farm , Fredericksburg, Ohio Alfred J. and Georgia A. Armstrong House , Portland, Oregon Tannler–Armstrong House , Portland, Oregon Residencia Armstrong-Poventud , Ponce, Puerto Rico, also known as Armstrong-Toro House Armstrong House-Allen Academy , Bryan, Texas, listed on
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#1732787007501252-617: The central squares acting as a gathering point for refugees from outside the city walls. Each year, the Savannah Historic District attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy its eighteenth- and nineteenth-century architecture and green spaces. The district includes the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, see Juliette Gordon Low Historic District ),
273-427: The historic portions of Savannah is based on the concept of a ward , as defined by Oglethorpe. Each ward had a central square , around which were arrayed four trust lots and four tythings . Each trust lot was to be used for a civic purpose, such as a school, government building, church, museum, or other public venue, while the tythings were each subdivided into ten lots for residential use. The wards were oriented in
294-491: The home in its promotional materials. The attached carriage house was also three stories, having two garage bays designed for automobiles with front and rear entrances from the street or from the alley (or “lane” as they are called in Savannah). Living quarters were between and above the garages. The street entrances thus approached the carriage house through the garden creating a circular drive, with one side passing through
315-432: The link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Armstrong_House&oldid=1055197755 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Armstrong Kessler Mansion (Savannah, Georgia) The Armstrong Kessler Mansion
336-401: The mansion in 2017, commissioned a complete restoration of the Armstrong property. The structure, interior, and Italianate landscape are being restored as closely as possible to the original design with original materials. The architect and urban designer Christian Sottile developed the master plan for restoration. Interiors have been carried out by the designer Chuck Chewning. The plan includes
357-917: The old Colonial Cemetery , Cathedral of St. John the Baptist , Old Harbor Light , and Factors Row, a line of former cotton warehouses, along its waterfront, some built from ships' ballast stones. Other buildings in the district include the Isaiah Davenport House , the Green-Meldrim House , the Owens–Thomas House , the William Scarbrough House , the Sorrel–Weed House , and the United States Customhouse . Notable green spaces in
378-446: The porte-cochere. The landscape plan consisted of two formal yards on either side of a wide graduated approach to the front entrance, orchestrated to match the grandeur of the main hall. The effect in front carried through to the rear, where a second entrance under the porte-cochere faced a large rear garden. Front and rear grounds were enclosed with 200 feet of ornate iron fencing resembling that of Buckingham Palace . The main hall
399-471: Was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966, and is one of the largest urban, community-wide historic preservation districts in the United States. The district was established in recognition of the Oglethorpe Plan , a unique model of urban planning begun in 1733 by James Oglethorpe at Savannah's founding and propagated during the first century of the city's growth. The plan of
420-485: Was demolished to make room for parking. Numerous non-structural modifications were made throughout to accommodate the law practice. With the restoration of the property begun in 2017 (see below), the gardens and a portion of the carriage house has been recreated. The Armstrong Kessler Mansion setting has appeared frequently in popular culture. The house was used as the school of the protagonist's daughter in Cape Fear ,
441-416: Was designed with Italian limestone claddings, ornate plaster ceilings, and cornices. Floor-length windows, cornices, panels, friezes, and details reflecting a range of styles are found throughout the interior. Rooms drew from various period styles, including Georgian , Adamesque , Jacobean , and even Arts and Crafts . The house was fully electrified, with a central vacuum system, recirculating hot water, and
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