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Frederick Ball House

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c. 1809–1815, Frederick Ball; 1989–1990 restoration, Jones and Herrin Architecture with Cowart Design Group Architects. 136 Habersham St.

Frederick Ball was a builder of classicizing taste from Newark, New Jersey, who named his five children Tuscan, Doric, Corinthian, Ionic, and Annulet. Ball was able to build three narrow houses on this 60 × 90–foot tything lot, including the neighboring houses at 138 and 140 Habersham, which defy local convention by facing the side of the lot (on Habersham) rather than the square. The side-hall, double-pile house with its four-bay facade is efficiently heated by an interior chimney centered between the two rooms (unusual in Savannah), while an abundance of windows provides cross-ventilation for summer cooling. Built for Ball’s own family, the house show-cased his preferences for classical style, particularly on the interior, where elaborate composition mantels feature scenes from Greek mythology. Their mixed themes of liberty, peace, and bounty suggest a date following the War of 1812. The 1990 exterior and interior restoration, commissioned by Mills B. Lane IV (son of Mills B. Lane Jr.), involved removing later additions and reconstructing the portico; the houses at 138 and 140 were also restored as part of the project.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Robin B. Williams with David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler
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Citation

Robin B. Williams with David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler, "Frederick Ball House", [Savannah, Georgia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/GA-02-4.14.

Print Source

Buildings of Savannah, Robin B. Williams. With David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016, 86-87.

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