Monterey Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on

Bull Street Bull Street is a major street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Named for Colonel William Bull (governor), William Bull (1683–1755), it runs from Bay Street (Savannah, Georgia), Bay Street in the north to Derenne Avenue (part of Georgia S ...

and Wayne Street, and was laid out in 1847. It is south of

Madison Square Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, the fourth president of the United St ...

, west of Taylor Square, north of

Forsyth Park Forsyth Park (formerly known as the Military Parade Ground)''Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'', JSTOR (1929), p. 34 is a large city park that occupies in ...

and east of

Chatham Square Chatham Square is a major intersection in Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City. The square lies at the confluence of eight streets: the Bowery, Doyers Street, East Broadway, St. James Place, Mott Street, Oliver Street, Worth Street and Park ...

. The oldest building on the square is the Herman Kuhlman Duplex, at 22–24 West Taylor Street, which dates to 1851. Monterey Square commemorates the

Battle of Monterrey In the Battle of Monterrey (September 21–24, 1846) during the Mexican–American War, General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North was defeated by the Army of Occupation, a force of United States Regulars, Volunteers, an ...

(1846), in which American forces, under General

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military officer and politician who was the 12th president of the United States, serving from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States ...

, captured the city of

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War (Spanish language, Spanish: ''guerra de Estados Unidos-México, guerra mexicano-estadounidense''), also known in the United States as the Mexican War, and in Mexico as the United States intervention in Mexico, ...

. (The correct spelling in reference to the square is "Monterey".) In the center of the square is an 1853 monument honoring General Casimir Pulaski. The body of an unknown

Revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

soldier, speculated by some to be Pulaski himself, is said to be buried beneath the monument. Monterey Square is the site of Mercer House, built by

Hugh Mercer Hugh Mercer (January 16, 1726 – January 12, 1777) was a Scottish brigadier general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in the New York and New Jersey campaign and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Pri ...

and later the home of antiques dealer and conservator Jim Williams. The house (which fills an entire block) and the square itself, were featured prominently in

John Berendt John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and '' The Ci ...

's 1994

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

novel ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansf ...

''. The square has been used as a setting for several motion pictures, including the 1997 film version of Berendt's novel and '' The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd'', starring

Dennis Weaver Billy Dennis Weaver (June 4, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American actor and president of the Screen Actors Guild, best known for his work in television and films from the early 1950s until just before his death in 2006. Weaver's two most ...

, in 1979. The Comer House, in the northeastern residential/tything block, is also featured in the movie. The square is home to

Congregation Mickve Israel Congregation Mickve Israel (transliterated from Hebrew language, Hebrew as "Congregation for the Hope of Israel") is a Reform Judaism, Reform Jewish congregation and synagogue located at 20 East Gordon Street, Monterey Square (Savannah, Georgia) ...

, which boasts one of the few Gothic-style synagogues in America, dating from 1878. All but one of the buildings surrounding the square are original to the square, the exception being the

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

Building at 428 Bull Street.City of Savannah's ''Savannah's Squares'' page
accessed June 13, 2007.

Dedication

Markers and structures

Scudder's Row

Scudder's Row is a historic

row house A terrace, terraced house (British English, UK), or townhouse (American English, US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses party wall, sharing side walls. In the United States ...

comprising the five homes from 1 to 9 East Gordon Street in the southeastern residential block of the square. They were built between 1852 and 1853 by brothers

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

and Ephraim Scudder.''Savannah, Immortal City: Volume One of the Civil War Savannah Series''
- Barry Sheehy, Cindy Wallace, Vaughnette Goode-Walker (2011), p. 329

Constituent buildings

Each building below is in one of the eight blocks around the square composed of four residential "tything" blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks, now known as the Oglethorpe Plan. They are listed with construction years where known. ;Northwestern residential/tything block *Herman Kuhlman Duplex, 22–24 West Taylor Street (1851) *George Gray House, 20 West Taylor Street (1855) – altered in 1893 *Andrew Farie House, 18 West Taylor Street (1913) *12 West Taylor Street (1868) *10 West Taylor Street (1872) – became the Hurn Museum in 2004 *Nicholas Cruger House, 4 West Taylor Street (1852) – oldest building on the square ;Northwestern civic/trust block *Revd. Charles W. Rogers House, 423–425 Bull Street (1858) – later the home of

Lee Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

and Emma Adler *John Lynch Building, 422 Whitaker Street (1880) ;Southwestern civic/trust block * Mercer House, 429 Bull Street (1868) ;Southwestern residential/tything block * Noble Hardee Mansion, 3 West Gordon Street (1860/1884) *7–9 West Gordon Street (1884) *11 West Gordon Street (1858) *John Williams Duplex, 17–19 West Gordon Street (1879–1882) *Joachim Saussy House, 23 West Gordon Street (1870) ;Northeastern residential/tything block * Comer House, 2 East Taylor Street (1880) *William Hunter House, 10 East Taylor Street (1872)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 65 * Thomas-Levy House (western half of the Thomas-Purse Duplex),"Jane Fishman: To John Duncan, history is life"
– ''

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 Savannah metropolitan area, metropolitan ...

'', March 23, 2019 12 East Taylor Street (1869/1894) *14 East Taylor Street (eastern half of the Thomas-Purse Duplex; 1869) *David Lopez Cohen Property (1), 16–20 East Taylor Street (1852) *David Lopez Cohen Property (2), 24 East Taylor Street (1852) *David Lopez Cohen Property (3), 28–32 East Taylor Street (1852) ;Southeastern civic/trust block *

, 20 East Gordon Street (1878) ;Southeastern residential/tything block *Scudder's Row, 1–9 East Gordon Street (1853)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 66 *11 East Gordon Street (1854) *Charles McGill House, 15 East Gordon Street *John Rowland House, 17–19 East Gordon Street (1881) *Frederick Groschaud House, 23 East Gordon Street (1854) – remodeled in 1909

Gallery

File:Monterey Square panoramic.jpg, Panoramic view of Monterey Square, facing south, 2022 File:Savannah (5802860172).jpg,

Spanish moss Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an Epiphyte, epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America (as far ...

in the square File:Mercer House 2017 from square.jpg, Mercer Williams House Museum, at 429 Bull Street, occupies the entire southwestern trust lot File:Monterey Square 1.jpg, Comer House, 2 East Taylor Street File:Built for William Hunter, 1872.jpg, William Hunter House, 10 East Taylor Street File:12 East Taylor Street.jpg, Thomas–Levy House, 12 East Taylor Street File:14 East Taylor Street.jpg, 14 East Taylor Street File:16-20 East Taylor Street.jpg, David Lopez Cohen Property (1), 16–18 East Taylor Street File:24 East Taylor Street.jpg, David Lopez Cohen Property (2), 24 East Taylor Street File:28-32 East Taylor Street.jpg, David Lopez Cohen Property (3), 28–32 East Taylor Street File:Built for Nicholas Cruger, 1854.jpg, Nicholas Cruger House, 4 West Taylor Street File:Georgia20131016 017 Savannah Historic District.jpg, Hurn Museum, 10 West Taylor Street File:Georgia20131016 018 Savannah Historic District.jpg, 12 West Taylor Street File:Andrew Farie House.jpg, Andrew Farie House, 18 West Taylor Street File:George Gray House.jpg, George Gray House, 20 West Taylor Street File:Herman Kuhlman Duplex.jpg, Herman Kuhlman Duplex, 22–24 West Taylor Street File:John Williams Duplex.jpg, John Williams Duplex, 17–19 West Gordon Street File:GA Savannah HD Mickve sq pano01.jpg, Congregation Mickve Israel, 20 East Gordon Street File:Built for Reverend Charles Rogers, 1858.jpg, Revd. Charles W. Rogers House, 423–425 Bull Street File:Georgia20131016 053 11 East Gordon Street.jpg, 11 East Gordon Street File:Built for Charles McGill, 1854.jpg, Charles McGill House, 15 East Gordon Street File:John Rowland House.jpg, John Rowland House, 17–19 East Gordon Street File:Frederick Groschaud House.jpg, Frederick Groschaud House, 23 East Gordon Street File:The Noble Hardee Mansion, 1860-1869.jpg, Noble Hardee Mansion, 3 West Gordon Street File:Georgia20131016 034 Savannah Historic District.jpg, 7–9 West Gordon Street File:Built for Reverend Charles B. King, 1858.jpg, 11 West Gordon Street, designed by John S. Norris File:Joachim Saussy House.jpg, Joachim Saussy House, 23 West Gordon Street File:422 Whitaker Street.jpg, John Lynch Building, 422 Whitaker Street

References

{{Squares of Savannah, Georgia Monterey Square (Savannah, Georgia) 1847 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)