Savannah Victorian Historic District, 404-410 East Duffy Street (House), Savannah

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,26-SAV,53T-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Apartments Signifieanc e: This house was originally built as two townhouse units, later converted into four apartments. The house has a particularly fine sawn wood double front porch. Part I. HISTORICAL INFORMATION A. Physical History: 1. Date of erection: An Building Permit states that two two-story frame dwellings with tin roofs were to be erected on the lot. The Tax Digest lists no improvements on this lot, but the Tax Digest lists Improvements worth This would indicate that the structures were erected in 2. Architect: Not known. 3. Original owner: Estate of J. J. Waring. 4. Alterations and additions: By comparing the and Sanborn Insurance Maps, it can be seen that the rear of the original main block did not include the one-story porches.

By the one-story porches and additions had been built, as well as the room adjacent to the rear of the second story. For background information, see Savannah Victorian Historic District, HABS No.GA-1169 B.

Source document Quoted word for word from HABS GA,26-SAV,53T-. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Insurance Maps of Savannah, Georgia, and Sanborn Map Company, New York. EAST DUFFY STEffiT HABS No. GA-1169-T (Page 2) Tax Digest, City of Savannah, and located in the Georgia Historical Society, Columbus, Georgia. Building Permits, Waring Ward, Georgia Historical Society. Prepared by: Beth Lattimore Reiter Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey Summer PART II. ARCHITECTURAL INFORMATION A. General Statement: 1. Architectural character: This double house has bracketed eaves which are almost obscured by a handsome two-story porch with sawn wood decorative balusters. Notable details on the interior are fine door and window frames with symmetrically molded trim and bull's-eye corner blocks. 2.

Condition of fabric: Fair; the wiring is outdated and sections of the roof are in need of repair. The east Sill has rotted, causing some deflection. B. Description of Exterior: 1. Overall dimensions: The original two-story block measures (six-bay S front) x The additions are irregular in dimensions, but the deepest part extends an additional 2. Foundations: Brick pier foundation over a crawl space. The south foundation is solid brick; the side and rear elevations are filled in with vertical boards. 3. Wall construction: Frame with clapboard siding. 4. Structural system: Wood frame construction. 5. Porches: A double wooden gallery, six bays wide, is trimmed with decorative wooden balusters and turned posts supporting a flat roof.

The porch is approached from the center by five concrete steps, with a pipe rail at each end and in the center. The rear porch on the first story is wooden with metal steps. 6. Chimneys: has two interior end chimneys in the main block and one interior end chimney in the wing addition. The main block chimneys are-brick with corbelled caps; the chimney the -addition is brick covered with stucco. The brick chimneys in are lo- cated on the east end wall and on the north wall of the second room. EAST DUFFY STREET HABS No. GA-1169 T (Page 3) H) 7. Openings: a. Doorways and doors: Each entrance originally consisted of a set of double doors, set in plain trim and topped by a three-light transom.

The rear doors are simple cottage-style doors with a glass pane on the top half and raised paneling below. b. Windows: The windows have two-over-two-light, double-hung sash framed by simple surrounds with cornices. Porch windows have floor-length, two-over-four-light double-hung sash, allowing access to the porch. 8. Roof: a. Shape, covering: A hip roof with standing seam tin sheathing covers all roof surfaces. The main block has built-in gutters and metal downspouts; the additions have hung gutters. b. Cornice, eaves: Bracketed cornice with cut-out decorative vents. A row of wooden ornamental trim is applied below the brackets. C. Description of Interior: 1. Floor plans: a. First floor: Side hall plan, two rooms deep with a one-room rear ell and one large room at the end of the hall.

In this room has been divided into two rooms. An addition of two rooms, a porch and a small enclosed porch, have been added to a similar addition was also added to b. Second floor: Side hall plan. 2. Stairways: There was a straight flight of stairs with rope-like newels and turned spindles in both of the front halls. These have been enclosed. 3. Flooring: Hardwood floors throughout. 4. Wall and ceiling finish: The ceilings on the first floor of have been lowered. The hall is paneled in pre-finished plywood. The rear addition has horizontal narrow beaded wooden strips as a wall finish. The upper level of has new pre-finished plywood pan- eling on the walls. The stairwell has horizontal wooden paneling. 5. Openings: a.

Doorways and doors; All doors are framed by elaborate bull's- eye corner block trim. The single doors have four raised panels in two tiers. The double sliding doors between the first-floor parlors have six panels in each half, arranged in two tiers. b. Windows: The windows are set into bull's-eye corner block trim. EAST DUFFY STREET HABS No. GA-1169 T (Page 4) 6. Decorative features and trim: The front and middle rooms have wooden mantels with rectangular openings filled with arched coal grate surrounds. They are framed by molded corner block trim and a bracketed mantel shelf. 7. Hardware: In brass escutcheons with their porcelain knobs remain on the second-floor doors. 8. Mechanical equipment: a.

Heating, air conditioning, ventilation: The houses were ven- tilated by transoms over the doors, which are now concealed by the dropped ceilings. The house, is heated by gas space heaters. b. Lighting: The house originally had gas lighting; it was converted to electricity with knob-and-tube wiring which is still used. D. Site: 1. General setting and orientation: The house faces south and is set back a few feet from the lot line. 2. Outbuildings: The and Sanborn Maps show a one- story lane cottage behind each dwelling. These have been demolished. Prepared by: Beth Lattimore Reiter Project Historian Historic American Buildings Survey August 20, PART III.

PROJECT INFORMATION This project was undertaken by the Historic American Buildings Survey in cooperation with the City of Savannah, the Historic Preservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, the Savannah Landmark Re- Habilitation Project, Inc., and Historic Savannah Foundation. The recording project was completed during the summer of under the general direction of John Poppeliers, Chief of HABS; Kenneth L.

Anderson, Principal Architect; Eric Delony, Project Coordinator, Savannah Landmark Rehabilitation Project, Inc., Beth Lattimore Reiter, Project Historian, Savannah Landmark Rehabilitation Project, Inc.; and Susan Dornbusch, Project Supervisor, University of Virginia; with student architects Gregori Anderson (Howard University), David Fixler (Columbia University), Stephen Lauf (Temple University), and Tamara Peacock (University of Florida), at the HABS Office in Savannah, Georgia. The drawings were edited in the Washington office in September by architects Susan Dornbusch and Gregori Anderson. The historical and architectural data was reviewed and edited during October-November by staff histrorain Jan Cigliano.

Photographs were taken in September by Walter Smalling, a staff photographer with the Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service. The documentation on the historic district will be used in the rehabilitation of the residences and in developing design guidelines for the area.