Owens-Thomas House- Savannah, GA

Savannah is awash with impressive architecture. Spectacular structures stand on every square, much to the delight of design fans. Even among this stiff competition, the Owens-Thomas House manages to stand out from the crowd.

Commissioned in 1816 by Richard Richardson, a detestable person who made his money though human trafficking, the Owens-Thomas house was designed in the Regency style by noted English architect William Jay, and constructed by John Retan. Using imported materials, and experimenting with new techniques, the result is a home that still stuns two centuries later.

Constructed of tabby and coquina, the house featured a one story cast iron portico, one of the first uses of structural cast iron in America. Inside, it showcased the latest in modern technology, including gravity fed plumbing and flush toilets. In the dining room, indirect lighting and carved moldings impressed even the most sophisticated of guests.

The pièce de résistance however, is the home’s stunning staircase. As an aficionado of staircases, I am absolutely floored by the design. The dramatic central stair splits on the rise, and includes a breathtaking bridge on the second floor. A unique and spectacular feature, it is a genius design detail. Indeed, throughout the house, it is the details both small and large that elevate the house to superstar status. Molding envy is a real thing, and it starts here.

A world apart from the magnificent main house is the property’s carriage house, containing the best preserved slave quarters in Savannah. Astonishingly, removal of a drop ceiling revealed original “haint blue” paint on the ceilings, believed to ward away evil spirits in the African Tradition. Claustrophobic and cramped, the space would have been absolutely unbearable for its residents.

Ironically, the original owner only remained in the house for a few years. After losing his wife, two children, and much of his ill gotten fortune, Richardson sold the house in 1822. By 1824, the house was owned by the Bank, and leased to Mary Maxwell as a boarding house. In 1830, the mayor of Savannah George Welshman Owens purchased the the property at auction for just $10,000.

The property remained in the Owens family until 1951, when George Owens’ granddaughter Margaret Gray Thomas passed away, leaving the house to the Telfair Academy. The site opened as a house museum in 1954, and included a restored Regency garden designed by landscape architect Clermont Lee.