Madison Square (Savannah, Georgia) Explained

Madison Square
Namesake:James Madison
Location:Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Maint:City of Savannah
Coordinates:32.0735°N -81.0939°W
North:Bull Street
South:Bull Street
West:West Macon Street
East:East Macon Street

Madison Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the fourth row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Macon Street, and was laid out in 1837. It is south of Chippewa Square, west of Lafayette Square, north of Monterey Square and east of Pulaski Square. The square is named for James Madison, fourth president of the United States. The oldest building on the square is the Sorrel–Weed House, at 6 West Harris Street, which dates to 1840.

In the center of the square is the William Jasper Monument, an 1888 work by Alexander Doyle memorializing Sergeant William Jasper, a soldier in the siege of Savannah who, though mortally wounded, recovered his company's banner.[1] Savannahians sometimes refer to this as Jasper Square, in honor of Jasper's statue.[2]

Madison Square features a vintage cannon from the Savannah Armory.[3] These now mark the starting points of the first highways in Georgia, the Ogeechee Road, leading to Darien, and the Augusta Road.[1] [4]

The square also includes a monument marking the center of the British resistance during the siege.[5]

The Masonic Hall, at 341 Bull Street, was designed by Hyman Witcover, also the architect of Savannah City Hall.[6]

In 1971 Savannah landscape architect Clermont Huger Lee and Mills B. Lane planned and initiated a project to install new walk patterns with offset sitting areas and connecting walks at curbs, add new benches, lighting and planting.[7]

Markers and structures

ObjectImageNote
William Jasper MonumentMadison Square and the William Jasper Monument.
Historical markerThe square's historical marker, erected by the Georgia Historical Commission in 1958.
Historical markerAncient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry historical marker, erected in 1969.
Historical markerCannon.

Constituent buildings

See also: Buildings in Savannah Historic District.

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 lot
Northwestern civic/trust lot
Southwestern civic/trust lot
Southwestern residential/tything lot
Northeastern residential/tything lot
Northeastern civic/trust lot
Southeastern residential/tything lot

Notes and References

  1. http://www.savannahga.gov/cityweb/p&tweb.nsf/Monuments?OpenView City of Savannah's monuments page
  2. Chan Sieg (1984). The squares: an introduction to Savannah. Virginia Beach: Donning.
  3. http://www.savannah.com/scene/online.html Savannah Scene
  4. http://www.ourcoast.com/savannahcityguide/visiting/squares.shtml Our Coast's guide to Savannah's Squares
  5. http://www.seesavannah.com/sample.pdf See Savannah
  6. Savannah, Whip Morrison Triplett, 2006, p. 82
  7. Dolder. Ced. Clermont Lee, (1914-2006) Pioneering Savannah Landscape Architect. Magnolia – Publication of the Southern Garden History Society. Spring 2014. XXVII. 2. 4. 16 February 2020.
  8. https://www.scad.edu/sites/default/files/PDF/SCADFactBook-info.pdf?2020 SCAD Fact Book: 2020–21
  9. https://www.savannahnow.com/business/20200218/freemasons-sell-historic-bull-street-home-to-scad "Freemasons sell historic Bull Street home to SCAD"
  10. https://www.scad.edu/life/buildings-and-facilities/gryphon Gryphon
  11. https://www.thempc.org/docs/lit/hist/maps/supplement.pdf Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
  12. Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Luciana M. Spracher (2003)