The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-07-05
rzRouGH GEORGIA.
what a Visitor Has to Say About
Savannah and the De Soto.

xxnat a Visitor Has to Say About
Savannah and the De Soto.
Rooyman. in Architecture and Build
~ ing.
In going through Georgia l took the op-
,osite course to that made memorable by
ssSbermau's March TO the Sea-" Leaving
Nav York by steamer City Of Savannah,
aItbopgh in the middle Of June, | expert
sncad a delightful journey, and ar,
rived aft Savannah sufficiently refreshed
20 Stand rhe heat, which in the morning
seems intense to one just from the north;
found- however, that about O'Clock cool
breezes may generally be expected from the
ocean. and the nights in midsummer are
pleasant. The architectural plece de re-
Sisf0nee of Savannah is considered to be the
Ne $40 hotel. Although now closed 10 the
nuhlic. through the courtesy OF President
Eomer went through it, accompanied by
MIR Henry Urban, the resident representa-
tive of tie architect, Mr.. William IT, fres-
ton of Boston.
The De Soto is a monument to the re-
sources of Georgia. Over Sl5O,OOO OF Geor-
eia material is in the building marple,
granite and pine. The building occupies a
whole block, fronting south on Madison
SQUARE. in which stands the bronze statue
and monument to that heroic American
soldier. Sergt Jasper. On the west Is Sa-
vannahs grand boulevard, Bull street, and
ON the north is Liberty street, with It's three
rows of noble trees, and on the east Dray-
ton street, one of Savannah's greatest
thoroughfares. Besides this, IN the quad
rangle and with southern openlng Is the
grand parade, with its grass plats and wind
The building is 300 feet on Liberty street.
and 200 feet OF Bull street, with its princi-
nal entrance on the latter. Liberty and
Harris streets also have doorways opening
INTO the main corridors for convenience of
access from those sides.
The hotel is picturesque in its Skyline,
being four, FIVE or six stories In hight The
material is brick, stone and terra Gotta.
The first story is treated as base or socle,
the color properly being dark, red brick
laid in brown mortar; the two or three
suuerposed stories are a pleasant-coiored
buff brick made in New Jersey. A broad
band or frieze of nodded copper divides the
main buff body of the building from the
upper story, which is of red terra Gotta tiles.
The roofs are mainly of dark slate, from
the north.
The Bull street entrance opens from a
porch CT veranda, 30x50 feet, approached
by two wide flights of granite steps. fanked
by terra Gotta and granite buttresses, car
rying great beveled plate-glass lanterns.
Space forbids going into the many inter
esting details of interior finish and decora-
ton. / cannot forbear, however, mention
ing the smoking-room, which is finished
with high paneled dado of sweet gum-a
wood | have not before seen used; the
mantel is high, and in field of enameled
tiling is a beautiful piece of glass mosaic
work. executed by Ford of Boston, showing
in Renaissance scroll the motto, Dunn
uiro fumO"-"While live will smoke"
A new feature, the solarium, has been de-
veloped in the shape of broad fiat plat
form on the highest roof surrounding 8
glazed room or hall From this elevated
position | obtained an excellent birdseye
view of the city. Anything more grateful
to the eye than the effect of the trees, from
the midst of which the buildings seemed to
peep out, it is difficult to imagine. Truly the
title of Forest City is most appropriate. One
catches a glimpse of that interesting build
ing, the Telfair Academy of Arts anC
Sciences, which has been referred to as ''t
bit of Munich strayed from the banks of the
Isler to the New World" In front of the
building are five heroic-size statutes of Ru
bens, Raphael, Michael Angelo, Phidias anc
Rembrandt, modelled for the academy by
Niennese sculptors, and carved in white
MARINA stone. The architect of the build
ing was the late Detlef Lienau, of New
York.
In old buildings Savannah has much to
interest architects; the city exchange, or
city hall, at the foot of Bull street, wa:
built III 1879, and is a good type of the
architecture of that time. In the ''long
room" is a life-size painting of Gen. Robert
E. Lee. the finest portrait / have ever seen.
The theater is most uninviting looking
building, interesting only on account of its
antiquity, it having been built in 1918. The
MORNING News, of which Col. j. H. Estil
is the proprietor, has handsome six-story
building on Whitaker street. The county
court house, now being erected and nearly
completed, is of buff brick and terra Gotta
construction, and can hardly be described
as of any particular style; the architect
William G. Preston of Boston is to be
congratulated, however, on an excellent
general effect. Mr.. Preston, by the way
has an Interesting piece of work on hand,
in the rebuilding of the Independent Pres.
byterian church, at Bull and South Broad
streets, which was destroyed by fire In
April, 1889 and is to be rebuilt upon ex
actly the same plan as the original church
but while the granite of the old church
came from Quincy, Mass, the material OF
the new one is Georgia granite, quarrled al
Sparta, near Macon, by the Georgia Quincy
Granite Company | noticed the founda.
tlons being laid for handsome store to be
erected for Mayor Schwarz, at the corner of
Bun and York streets, from plans of Mr..
A. 8. Eichberg of Savannah.
Ttecotton exchange is a very handsome
building of red brick and terra Gotta, and
and is from the plans of William G. Pres
ton. The regret that felt at being obliged
to leave Savannah after a very brief visit
was intensified on reaching my next des-
tlnataon, Macon, for, from an architect
ural view, that city is almost barren of in
terest.