A look at one of Savannah's most famous architectural styles rooted in medieval romanticism
18th-19th Century Revival Movement
Romantic response to industrialization through medieval aesthetics
Savannah's Architectural Heritage
As one of the oldest cities in the country and the oldest in the state of Georgia, the city of Savannah is renowned as "The Hostess City of the South," noted for its hospitality and unique character. As such, part of Savannah's charm comes from the remarkable examples of architecture observable through its most memorable streets.
Nonetheless, Savannah is recognized by the U.S. government as one of the country's most extensive National Historic Landmark Districts. From its origins as the first planned city in America, Savannah has maintained its unique architectural character through centuries of preservation efforts.
English Origins and Industrial Revolution Response
Medieval Romanticism Against Modernization
The history of Gothic Revival architecture begins in England. This ideal of reviving the ancient Gothic architectural aesthetic was used to confront the novel challenges of the modern, industrialized world by using reliable although romanticized methods of the ancient past.
Response to Industrialization
Gothic Revival emerged as a romantic response to the mechanization and urban transformation of the Industrial Revolution.
Beginning in the era of the 18th century, Europe was going through fundamental changes. In England, the industrial revolution changed manufacturing processes that had long been established, moving the regular production of goods from made to order, hand-crafted commodities to readily available, factory-made, mass processed wares.
Societal Transformation
In essence, the nation was changing from a rural, agrarian society into an urbanized, industrial network of cities.
Conservative Reaction
Although the Industrial Revolution brought many technological advancements and some prosperity to the masses in its later years, detractors of the consequences of modernization decried the use of machinery and factory production.
Medieval Romanticism
These critics distrusted the new mechanical era and viewed the medieval past as a romanticized ideal of moral superiority and craftsmanship.
John Ruskin's Moral Architecture
Medieval Craftsmanship Philosophy
Ruskin's Vision
"Ruskin stated that the quality of medieval craftsmanship reflected the morally superior way of life of the medieval world and urged a return to the conditions operative in the earlier period."
- Britannica Encyclopedia on Gothic Revival
Finding inspiration in the Gothic architecture of the past, aristocrats, scholars, and architects of increasingly serious prestige began to consider ancient Gothic architecture as a more accessible and versatile aesthetic that emphasized England's history and medieval folklore.
Accordingly, the Gothic revival style overtook the aesthetics of late 18th century and 19th century England as the architectural design of choice.
Although there are no formally defined elements of Gothic architecture, as the centuries-old style varied regionally and was adapted throughout hundreds of years, the practice of Gothic revival architecture relied mainly on the pointed arch as the determining factor for Gothic design.
Primary Uses
The pointed arch and the style's predominant use in the construction of churches and educational institutions became defining characteristics.
Common Elements
Pointed arches and ribbed vaults
Flying buttresses for structural support
Large windows with tracery
Ornate stonework and decoration
Vertical emphasis and soaring heights
In the United States, the Gothic style would make its mark in many regions. It would continue to be used for a much more extended period than the English until the 20th century. The first American Gothic revival structure sprung in the Northeast, with the first building designed in Maryland by American architect Alexander Jackson Davis.
Davis was a prominent Gothic revival proponent, authoring a book promoting Gothic architecture for private residencies in rural settings.
American Gothic Characteristics
"Gothic Revival was never popular as Greek or Italianate styles (in America), but it's surprising how often this style reveals itself in churches, houses, and some public buildings. It was mostly popular between 1840-1860 for houses, usually in a wood-frame form referred to as Carpenter Gothic. It remained a popular style for churches nationally right up through the 1940s (WWII), due primarily to its association with European ecclesiastical architecture."
Savannah, Georgia's most historied city, with its charming seaside enchantment, contains some of the country's finest examples of Gothic revival architecture.
Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist
One such example is the Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist on Lafayette Square. The cathedral is one of Savannah's oldest houses of worship, which at one time included about a third of Georgia's Catholic population.
It is the seat of the bishop of the diocese, and hence, it is considered a cathedral. The structure features the distinctive Gothic Revival elements that make it one of Savannah's most architecturally significant buildings.
These evocative buildings in Savannah exemplify the captivating qualities of the Gothic style, as they feature stained glass windows, pointed structures, and cast-iron metalwork, among other elements.
Furthermore, these complex and beautiful structures build on the vast stock of Savannah's captivating buildings, adding to the architectural lexicon of the Southern city.
Stained Glass Windows
Colorful narrative windows telling religious and historical stories through intricate glasswork.
Pointed Structures
Soaring spires and pointed arches creating vertical emphasis and spiritual aspiration.
Cast-Iron Metalwork
Ornate decorative ironwork adding Gothic detail to Southern architectural traditions.
Gothic Revival begins in England as romantic response to Industrial Revolution and mechanization.
Late 18th-19th Century - English Dominance
Gothic Revival overtakes English aesthetics as architectural design of choice for aristocrats and scholars.
1840-1860 - American Peak Period
Gothic Revival reaches peak popularity in America for houses, especially in Carpenter Gothic wood-frame form.
Through 1940s - Church Architecture
Gothic Revival remains popular for church architecture through WWII due to European ecclesiastical associations.