21 West Bay Street is a historic building in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
, United States. Located a block south of the
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the norther ...
in the
Savannah Historic District Savannah Historic District may refer to:
*Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia), a National Historic Landmark district in Georgia
* Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities, Savannah, Georgia, a historic district ...
, the building dates from 1821.
[About Moon River Brewing Company]
- MoonRiverBrewing.com
In 1984, the significance of the building was recognized by the
Historical American Buildings Survey.
[ That same year, architectural students of the ]Savannah College of Art and Design
Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) is a private nonprofit art school with locations in Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; and Lacoste, France.
Founded in 1978 to provide degrees in programs not yet offered in the southeast of the Unit ...
determined that William Jay was the building's architect.[
]
History
City Hotel
The hotel was constructed by Eleazer Early of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...
, to a design by William Jay,[Malcolm Bell, Jr., "Ease and Elegance, Madeira and Murder: The Social Life of Savannah's City Hotel," ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly,'' vol. 76, no. 3 (Fall 1992), p. 552.] and completed in 1821 as the City Hotel. It was built on land purchased by his wife, Jane, four years earlier[ and was the first hotel in Savannah.][ It had "33 rooms, exclusive of the bar."][''Classical Savannah: Fine & Decorative Arts, 1800–1840'', Page Talbott (1995), p. 76] In January 1820, during the building's construction, it was damaged by the fire that swept through Savannah. It was at that point that Jane Early transferred the property into her husband's name.[
The hotel housed, as ]lessee
A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...
s, the first branch of the United States Post Office
The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U. ...
in the city, as well as a branch of the Second Bank of the United States
The Second Bank of the United States was the second federally authorized Hamiltonian national bank in the United States. Located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the bank was chartered from February 1816 to January 1836.. The Bank's formal name, ac ...
, of which Eleazer Early was the first cashier.[ (William Jay is also responsible for the first branch of the bank in the city,][ which was located on East St Julian Street and built around the same time as the City Hotel. It was demolished in 1924.) Jay's work can especially be seen in the building's interior, including marble mantels, fine woodwork, curved doors and doorways (like those he designed in the city's Richardson House), and a grand staircase "entrapped within the building's curved walls."][
In 1822, Early petitioned to have the elevated bridge built across Bay Lane to a building facing Bryan Street.][ It is still there today.
Early leased the hotel to Orran (possibly ''Oran'') Byrd, also of Charleston, who agreed to a $4000 rental fee.][ Byrd became the ]postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office, responsible for all postal activities in a specific post office. When a postmaster is responsible for an entire mail distribution organization (usually sponsored by a national government), ...
of the hotel's Post Office.[ He placed a "classically bordered advertisement in ]Joshua Shaw
Joshua Shaw (1776–1860) was an English American artist and inventor.
Early life
Joshua Shaw was born in Billingborough, Lincolnshire, England in 1776 and was orphaned at the age of 7. To survive he worked for a local farmer as a bird scare ...
's ''United States Directory for the Use of Travellers and Merchants'' of 1823:[
In 1822, an ill-advised hotel venture on ]Tybee Island
Tybee Island is a city and a barrier island located in Chatham County, Georgia, 18 miles (29 km) east of Savannah, United States. Though the name "Tybee Island" is used for both the island and the city, geographically they are not identical ...
eventually led to Byrd falling behind on his rent to Early. As a result, in 1825, the Savannah sheriff advertised the sale of hotel furnishings. Although Byrd foundered, the hotel survived.[
Military dinners were held at the hotel, usually beginning at 4.00 p.m. to accommodate the numerous toasts that "numbered well over thirty."][
From 1826 until his death in August 1827, John Miller, of Augusta, was the hotel's manager. His wife succeeded him in the role.][
In December 1828, Captain Henry W. Lubbock, who had commanded the ]steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
''Macon'', tried his hand at shore duty and became the hotel's manager. He undertook repairs and refurbishment.[ As well as informing people that the hotel's stable could accommodate thirty horses, he also advertised that his bar was serving Vassar's Double Brown Ale on draught.][ M. Vassar & Company was the largest brewery of its kind in the United States at the time.][ Bruno, Maryann and Daniels, Elizabeth A., ''Vassar College'', Arcadia Publishing, 2001]
In May 1829, the hotel was sold, "at public outcry", in front of the Savannah Cotton Exchange
The Savannah Cotton Exchange was established in 1876 in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Its function was to provide King Cotton factors, brokers serving planters' interest in the market, a place to congregate and set the market value of cotton e ...
. Eleazer Early had lost the property to the Bank of Darien. The bank, in turn, lost it to William J. Scott. Lubbock remained as manager, at least through the Fourth of July
Independence Day (colloquially the Fourth of July) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the Declaration of Independence, which was ratified by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing the United States ...
celebrations,[ but he was succeeded in 1830 by Silas Hollis.][ The following year, Hollis drummed up business by charging admission to view a lion and lioness on display in a large cage.][ He also supplied the food and beverages for a hotel-sponsored dinner at the Cotton Exchange honoring ]John M. Berrien
John Macpherson Berrien (August 23, 1781January 1, 1856) of United States senator from Georgia and Attorney General of the United States during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
Early life and education
Berrien was born on August 23, 1781 at ...
, attorney general of the United States.[
A fight between James Jones Stark and Dr. Philips Minis (a descendent of early Jewish settler Abraham Minis)] that began in the spring of 1832 in one Savannah bar (Luddington's) ended on August 10 in the bar of the City Hotel by virtue of Minis shooting Stark dead with a pistol.[ Minis went on trial for the shooting.
Captain Peter Wiltberger Jr. (1791 – 1853)][''Historic Bonaventure Cemetery: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society'', Arcadia Publishing (1998)]
/ref> purchased the property in December 1832 and renovated it.[
In the mid-1830s, the hotel's only real competition was from the Mansion House, a large double-piazzed wooden structure on the northwestern corner of Broughton and Whitaker Streets.][ Wiltberger purchased that property in November 1836 for $10,000, as well as utilizing the northwest corner of ]Bull Street
Bull Street is a major street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Named for Colonel William Bull (1683–1755), it runs from Bay Street in the north to Derenne Avenue (part of State Route 21) in the south. It is around 3.40 miles in length, ...
and Bryan Street, which he owned, and leasing tracts farther down Bryan, he began converting the property into a grand hotel he named the Pulaski House.[
Wiltberger decided to close the hotel on November 1, 1841, even though it was still operating successfully.][
The hotel was back in business within a month, under the proprietorship of Irishman John McMahon.][ McMahon sold it to James B. Foley in the 1850s. Foley was acclaimed for managing to keep the establishment open through Savannah's ]yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...
epidemic in 1854, the only public house in the city that did not close.[ Some 650 Savannahians died in the epidemic.
In 1857, a new hotel appeared on Johnson Square. On the southeast corner of Congress and Bull Streets, the Screven House replaced Wiltberger's Pulaski House "as Savannah's finest."][ Foley was lured away from the City Hotel.][
The City Hotel struggled along in the final years before the ]Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, with Jackson Barnes and Edward Murphy as managers, before Augustus Bonaud (1822–1892)The Georgia Historical Society Biography Vertical Files Index
- Georgia Historical Society
The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and ta ...
took over what he called "a first-class hotel."[ He charged $2 per day and $10 per week for board and lodging. In the first year of the war, the ]Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
captured Hilton Head
Hilton Head Island, sometimes referred to as simply Hilton Head, is a Lowcountry resort town and barrier island in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States. It is northeast of Savannah, Georgia, and southwest of Charleston. The island is ...
and the Union naval blockade restricted waterborne commerce. In April 1862, their capture of Fort Pulaski
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
left Savannah in trouble. Bonaud managed to keep the hotel doors open until just before General Tecumseh Sherman
William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...
reached Savannah in his March to the Sea in 1864.[
]
Hotel guests
In January 1822, General Winfield Scott
Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...
stayed at the hotel, at a cost of $295 "for room, board, and a grand dinner."[
In 1825, naval commodores ]William Bainbridge
William Bainbridge (May 7, 1774July 27, 1833) was a Commodore in the United States Navy. During his long career in the young American Navy he served under six presidents beginning with John Adams and is notable for his many victories at sea. He ...
, James Biddle
James Biddle (February 18, 1783 – October 1, 1848), of the Biddle family, brother of financier Nicholas Biddle and nephew of Capt. Nicholas Biddle, was an American commodore. His flagship was .
Education and early career
Biddle was born in Ph ...
and Lewis Warrenton were guests at a festive gathering, while the Marquis de Lafayette
Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette (, ), was a French aristocrat, freemason and military officer who fought in the American Revoluti ...
was also entertained there in March that year. Dinners were prepared at the hotel and delivered "down the block and across the street to the spacious ballroom t the Cotton Exchange"[
Retired British naval officer and scientist Captain ]Basil Hall
Basil Hall (31 December 1788 – 11 September 1844) was a British naval officer from Scotland, a traveller, and an author. He was the second son of Sir James Hall, 4th Baronet, an eminent man of science.
Biography
Although his family home was ...
and his wife of three years, Margaret, stayed at the hotel in 1828.[
]John James Audubon
John James Audubon (born Jean-Jacques Rabin; April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851) was an American self-trained artist, naturalist, and ornithologist. His combined interests in art and ornithology turned into a plan to make a complete pictoria ...
stayed at the hotel in March 1832 after having to divert to the city when a gale forced into shore the schooner on which he was bound for Charleston.[
]
Later uses
In October 1865, the building was leased to "parties in Savannah", the portico was removed, and the two lower floors converted into two stores.[
Ownership from the 1860s bounced around several Savannah families, including the O'Byrnes, the Gilberts and the Osbornes.][
By the turn of the 20th century, the building was used as a lumber and coal warehouse, then for general storage.][ In 1917 it was owned by John C. Coleman, of Effingham County.][
In 1951, Thomas W. Gamble, son of the mayor and historian Thomas Gamble, purchased the property for his Review Company. William H. Thompson and his Thompson Transfer Company moved out at the same time. Thompson, 77, had occupied his space for 44 years.][
In the 1960s, it became an office-supplies store, including a large ]printing press
A printing press is a mechanical device for applying pressure to an inked surface resting upon a printing, print medium (such as paper or cloth), thereby transferring the ink. It marked a dramatic improvement on earlier printing methods in wh ...
.[ ]Hurricane David
Hurricane David was an extremely deadly hurricane which caused massive loss of life in the Dominican Republic in August 1979, and was the most intense hurricane to make landfall in the country in recorded history. A Cape Verde hurricane that rea ...
tore the roof of the building in 1979, forcing the business to close.["Moon River: Watch out for ghosts throwing bottles"]
- ''Savannah Morning News
The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its metropolitan area, and parts of South Ca ...
'', October 9, 2008
Today
The property remained empty until 1995, when a renovation was begun by Oglethorpe Brewing Company.[ They did not complete the project, however, and it was taken over by today's occupants, ]Moon River Brewing Company
Moon River Brewing Company is a brew pub, restaurant, bar and brewing facility located at 21 West Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States.
Brewery
Moon River Brewing Company opened to the public in 1999 on the site of the former Oglethor ...
, in 1999.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:West Bay Street 21
Commercial buildings in Savannah
Hotel buildings completed in 1821
Georgian architecture in Georgia (U.S. state)
1821 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Savannah Historic District