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St. John's Episcopal Church and Parish House

Treasured for its melodious chimes, its exquisite stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ, the superb reredos of Christ the King, and the present Wicks organ dedicated in 1983, St. Johns Church, of Gothic Revival style, was designed by Calvin Otis and built in 1852-53 after its organization in 1840 and charter in 1841. Close by its present Parish House, the former Green-Meldrim House was completed in 1853 by architect-builder, John S. Norris, for Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant. General William Tecumseh Sherman established his headquarters here when he gave the city to Lincoln as a Christmas present after the surrender of Savannah in December, 1864.

After subsequent ownership by Judge Peter Meldrim, former Mayor of Savannah and once president of the American Bar Association, the Meldrim family sold the mansion to the church in 1943, which restored it magnificently in its original Gothic Revival style.

As such it is one of the finest examples of its period. The covered porch on three sides of the house is surrounded by ornate iron work. Note the oriel windows, which give light from three sides. The woodwork on the main floor is American black walnut and the elaborate crown moldings or cornices are stucco-duro. A curved stairway is crowned with a skylight rotunda, which could be lighted with tiny gas jets. Also notable are marble mantles, together with their original adornments like the large mirrors in gold leaf frames from Austria.

--Sojourn in Savannah

Madison Square
1. Sorrel-Weed House
(c.1841), 6 West Harris Street. Stuccoed building with welcoming-arms stairs at entrance.
2. St. John's Episcopal Church and Parish House
3. Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
342 Bull Street. Romanesque red brick with up-ended cannon flanking the entrance, built as the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory.
4. Eliza Jewitt House
(1843), 326 Bull Street, on Madison Square. Classical residence with bookstore on street level.
5. DeSoto Hilton Hotel
15 East Liberty Street. Modern hotel-office complex.
6. Scottish Rite Masonic Temple

Map | Next Stop: Monterey Square

Johnson Square
Wright Square
Chippewa Square
Madison Square
Monterey Square
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