One of the later cottages built at the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, Villa Ospo references the name given to this area the Guale tribe, who hunted and lived on Jekyll Island prior to its eighteenth-century colonization. John Russell Pope built this Spanish Colonial style residence for Walter Jennings, director of Standard Oil Company of New Jersey. The low-pitched hipped roof features overhanging eaves and the chimney top resembles a bell tower. The structure’s light-colored stucco contrasts with the red roof tiles and shutters and the concrete quoins and window surrounds. Inside, a central hall opens into the Great Room, which features painted wood beams, wrought-iron chandeliers, and a massive cast-concrete fireplace mantel.
Villa Ospo was rehabilitated by the Jekyll Island Authority in 1998, and its landscaping was restored in 2001. It is now used as a special events venue.
References
Hunter, John. “Homes with a History.” Golden Isles Magazine, August 27, 2015.
McCash, June Hall. The Jekyll Island Cottage Colony. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1998.