Charles Blaney Cluskey (ca. 1808–1871) was an American architect active from the 1830s to the start of 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 ...

, and therefore he is recognized as an

antebellum Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to: United States history * Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States ** Antebellum Georgia ** Antebellum South Carolina ** Antebellum Virginia * Antebellum ar ...

architect. He is reputed to be the initiator of the

Greek Revival The Greek Revival was an architectural movement which began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe and the United States and Canada, but ...

–style in the south, and his commissions, both public and private, can still be seen in Augusta, Milledgeville and

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 ...

Early life

Born in Ireland, Cluskey emigrated to the United States in 1827, landing in New York City, where he trained with the architectural firm

Town and Davis Ithiel Town (October 3, 1784 – June 13, 1844) was an American architect and civil engineer. One of the first generation of professional architects in the United States, Town made significant contributions to American architecture in the f ...

. He moved to Savannah in 1829, where he did his first solo-commission, the Hermitage Plantation house, in 1830, now demolished.

Career

The

Old Medical College The Old Medical College Building is a historic academic building at 598 Telfair Street in Augusta, Georgia, US. It was built in 1835 for the Medical College of Georgia, then and now one of the leading medical schools of the American South. It was ...

(later Georgia Health Sciences University), built in 1837, was Cluskey's first major commission and the first example of the Greek revival style that would be his trademark. The Old Medical College is considered "one of his masterpieces". It is based on the

Villa Capra "La Rotonda" Villa La Rotonda is a Renaissance villa just outside Vicenza in northern Italy designed by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The villa's correct name is Villa Almerico Capra Valmarana, but it is also known as "La Rotonda", "Villa Rot ...

. In 1839 he completed the Governor's Mansion, also based on the Villa Capra, and the main building for

Oglethorpe University Oglethorpe University is a private college in Brookhaven, Georgia. It was chartered in 1835 and named in honor of General James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Colony of Georgia. History Oglethorpe University was chartered in 1834 in Mid ...

in 1840. The National Register nomination document for his Governor's Mansion asserts that: "His works gained recognition because they were a direct departure from the more conservative designs of rectangular shapes that had been generally used in domestic architecture," and that the building is "without question, his most perfect example of the Greek Revival house. In the 1840 and 50s, Cluskey moved to private commissions in Savannah, three houses still existing in what is now 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 ...

. Notable examples existing in Savannah today are the

Harper Fowlkes House Harper Fowlkes House is a historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located at 230 Barnard Street, in the southeastern trust lot of Orleans Square, and was built in 1844. It is in the Greek Revival style.

and Sorrel-Weed Houses. In 1845 he was elected Savannah city surveyor. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1847. He later provided input on planned additions to the Executive Mansion, but his suggestions were not implemented. In 1869 Cluskey moved back to Savannah. In the aftermath of the

he was commissioned to rebuild the

St. Simons Island Light The St. Simons Island Light is a lighthouse on the southern tip of St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States. It guides ships into St. Simons Sound and warns of the many sandbars in the area. History Original structure The original St. Simons ...

Selected works

*Hermitage Plantation house (1830), Savannah (demolished) *

Medical College of Georgia The Medical College of Georgia (often referred to as MCG) is the flagship medical school of the University System of Georgia, the state's only public medical school, and one of the top 10 largest medical schools in the United States. Established ...

(later Georgia Health Sciences University) (1834-37), Augusta *

(1837-40), Baldwin County near Milledgeville * Governor's Mansion (1837-39), Milledgeville *

(1844), Savannah *

St. Vincent's Academy St. Vincent's Academy (SVA) is a private, Catholic, all-girls high school located next to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in downtown Savannah, Georgia, United States. Founded in 1845 when Father Jeremiah Francis O’Neill brought six Si ...

(1845), Savannah *

Sorrel–Weed House The Sorrel–Weed House, or the Francis Sorrel House, is a historic landmark and Savannah Museum located at 6 West Harris Street in Savannah, Georgia. It represents one of the finest examples of Greek Revival and Regency architecture in Savannah a ...

(1853), Savannah *

Philbrick–Eastman House The Philbrick–Eastman House is a historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1847, in the Greek Revival style, it is located at 17 West McDonough Street in the southwestern trust/civic lot of Chippewa Square. ...

(1853), Savannah * Mills House (1855), Griffin * U.S. Customs House and Court House (1861), Galveston *

and keeper's residence (1869), St. Simons Island

Death

He died due to malaria in 1871 before completing the St. Simons Island lighthouse.

Gallery

File:Hermitage Slave Quarters (Savannah, Georgia).jpg, Hermitage Plantation house (1830), Savannah File:Old Medical College (Augusta, Georgia).jpg, Medical College of Georgia (later Georgia Health Sciences University) (1834-37), Augusta File:Lupton trees.jpg, Oglethorpe University (1837-40), Baldwin County near Milledgeville File:Georgia's Old Governor's Mansion.jpg, Governor's Mansion (1837-39), Milledgeville File:Champion-McAlpin-Fowlkes house, 230 Barnard Street, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia.jpg, Champion-McAlpin-Fowlkes House (1844), Savannah File:St. Vincent's Academy, 207 East Liberty Street, Savannah, Chatham County, GA.jpg, St. Vincent's Academy (1845), Savannah File:Philbrick-Eastman House, by Charles B. Cluskey, 17 West McDonough Street (taken with moving camera).jpg, Philbrick-Eastman House (1853), Savannah File:Mills House, 406 N. Hill St. Griffin.JPG, Mills House (1855), Griffin File:1861 Galveston Customs and Courthouse.jpg, U.S. Customs House and Court House (1861), Galveston File:Lighthouse and museum, St. Simons, GA, USA.JPG, St. Simons Island lighthouse and keeper's residence (1869), St. Simons Island File:Sorrel–Weed House, Savannah, GA, US (2).jpg, Sorrel–Weed House (1853), Savannah

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cluskey, Charles B. 1808 births 1871 deaths 19th-century American architects People from Savannah, Georgia Irish emigrants to the United States (before 1923) Architects from Georgia (U.S. state)