Art

Known as one of the best planned cities in the United States, Savannah is a showcase of the best of American art and architecture throughout the years, seen from the Savannah Historic District to the Victorian Historic District to the citys many parks and squares. Looking around, the city comes off as the perfect display of the many architectural styles that have become prevalent throughout American history. But, no other style has become noteworthy or characteristic of America during its most crucial times than that of Greek revival architecture. Popularized in the 1820s to the 1850s, this style used the many elements of Classical Greek architecture like Doric columns and friezes (Beney 1992, 10). Considered the national style, it was adopted in the United States as a symbol of the countrys patriotism and newfound democratic ideals as based on the Greek political system (Paradis 2008, online). And one of the earliest and most recognized buildings of this style found in the city of Savannah is the Christ Episcopal Church found along Bull Street in Johnson Square. For this paper, we shall discuss elements of Greek revival found in this building and discover its origins in ancient Greek architecture.

The Christ Church sect, was founded in 1733 as the new colony was beginning establish themselves in the vast landscape of Georgia. According to its website, the sect was supposed to serve as colonys official ministry but originally did not have a title nor a building to its name. Eventually, as part of the grand city plan coordinated by General James Oglethorpe, the colonys founder, the Church found its place in Johnson Square, flanked by trust lots set aside for other public buildings. With this location, the Church found itself at the center of the city, relishing its position as the heart and soul of the colony (Christ Church Savannah History, online).

The Church had undergone several renovation and reconstructions after several fires that almost razed the building to the ground. Its current faade was constructed in the 1840s during the height of the Greek revival era wherein most of the city adopted the same style. It might not be an accurate reproduction, but several key elements of the Ionic style can be pointed out throughout the edifice, particularly the columns and the gabled roofing.

In antiquity, Ionic columns popularized during the height of the Greek civilization (but not quite as popular as the Doric order) were made out limestone and were constructed with distinct vertical or horizontal lines, called fluting, deeply etched along its surface, an architectural innovation that prevented the columns from collapsing aside from being decorative (Dinsmoor and Anderson 1973, 72). As we can see in the Church building, this original template was summarily dismissed for a more practical design that involves the use of round, wooden columns that, despite this difference, are clearly inspired by the Ionic genre. These six columns dominate the buildings faade as it rises to two stories, an imposing vision in white that spells of the simple grandeur associated with the Greek era. Above these columns are volutes, spiral scrolls, typically associated with Ionic columns, which give the building a feminine quality.

The building also has a full-width portico, another distinct characteristic of the Greek Revival period, above which is a gabled roof with a pediment, or a smaller structured gable found either above porticos or over windows. The portico serves the welcoming space into the buildings entrance which are tall doors with distinctly Greek-inspired moldings, above which are gabled pediments that only add magnificence to the entrance.

Another Classical attribute of this building are the architrave, frieze and entablature that encircles the whole width of the edifice. Unlike classical structures, which follow the aforementioned format in the design, the Church employs the use of the frieze first,  with its vertical lines that add height to the structure, followed by the wide band of architrave, and the finally, the cornice that line the edges of the gabled roofing. Also notable are the exceptionally large windows and doors that bring light in into the congregation. Perhaps an innovation of the design, creating large windows and doors allow light to come in and keep the space open while still maintain the privacy of the venue.

Ideologically, one can derive a deeper similarity with the Church and the temples of antiquity as they are both places of worship. Perhaps, this is the very reason why this style was imposed on the Church, as a harkening back to a time when religion was the center of the peoples lives. The Parthenon, the best example of Greek architecture, is a temple built on top of a hill at the very center of the city of Athens. Much like this iconic and almost mythical structure, we find the Christ Episcopal Church at the very heart of the city of Savannah, its glorious white edifice gleaming in the Sunday sunlight, welcoming, and at the same time, equally imposing. It not only serves as an great example of Greek revival architecture in America, but also serves as an insight into the belief system of a people.