Patterson 1

Katherine Patterson

ARLH-208

Professor Gobel

October 8, 2021

Modern Architecture in Savannah: St. Francis Convent

This building is located at 439 East Broad Street, in Savannah, Georgia. As it is known

now, The Clarence Thomas Center for Historic Preservation was built in 1908 in the Classic

Revival style as an orphanage and convent for the Missionary Sisters of the Franciscan order. As

a child, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was an altar boy in this building, thus the

facility bears his name.1 After being purchased and restored by SCAD, the building now includes

state-of-the-art facilities, classrooms, offices, computer labs, a historic conservation lab and

workshop. Even though the building has now been put to a different use, it still carries a rich

history. Mathilda Beasley established an orphanage for African-American children in the vicinity

of 31st and 32nd Streets and Habersham Street. The orphanage was named the St. Francis Home

for Colored Orphans. In 1889, Mathilda formed the first community of African-American nuns

in Georgia. The group was associated with the Third Order of St. Francis. After many arson

attempts by teenage girls living in the home, the orphanage moved to the location that is

currently known as 439 East Broad Street. The orphanage shared this site with St. Benedict’s

Parish Church. Both the church and the orphanage exclusively served the African-American

population in Savannah. At this time Mother Mathilda was growing older and decided that she

needed more help to operate the orphanage. Therefore, three Franciscan sisters came to help, and

Mother Mathilda’s original group of African-American nuns disbanded. One sister died and

1
"Clarence Thomas Center For Historic Preservation | SCAD.Edu". 2021. SCAD.Edu.
https://www.scad.edu/life/buildings-and-facilities/clarence-thomas-center-historic-preservation.
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another left Savannah to join an all-black community in the North. Shortly after the arrival of the

Franciscan nuns, Mother Mathilda moved out of the orphanage. However, she continued to work

at the orphanage up until her death in 1903.2 Directly across the street from this building is

Mother Mathilda Beasley Park, which was dedicated to her in 1982.

The Classical Revival or Neoclassical style is very commonly seen across the country.

This style was inspired by the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago held in 1893 which

prompted a renewed interest in the classical forms. Similar to the Colonial Revival style which

was popular in the same period, the Classical Revival style was more formal and monumental in

its design. Relying on stylistic details of the earlier Greek Revival style, Classical Revival style

buildings often have massive columns with classical Corinthian, Doric or Ionic capitals, topped

by a front facing pediment. One of the most distinctive versions of this style features a full height

columned front porch topped with a classical pediment. The arrangement of windows and doors

is formal and symmetrical, with the front door often flanked by pilasters or side lights and

capped with a flat entablature, broken pediment or rounded fanlight. This style was most often

used for courthouses, banks, churches, schools and mansions.3 The Saint Francis Convent is a

large, rectangular, three story brick building that holds many of these characteristics, such as a

formal symmetrical design with a flat entablature over the central entry door, decorative door

surrounds, including pilasters with doric column capitals, rectangular double hung windows, and

dentilled cornices. Additionally, due to its original use as a religious structure, there is a cupola

atop the roof adorned with tuscan columns and a large cross. The bottom row of windows are

2
"Mathilda Beasley And The Catholic Church". 2021. Georgia Historical Society.
https://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/online-exhibits/featured-historical-figures/mother-mathilda-beasley/m
athilda-beasley-and-the-catholic-church/.
3
"Classical Revival Style 1895 - 1950 | PHMC > Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide". 2021. Phmc.State.Pa.Us.
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/classical-revival.html.
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iron barred, seemingly for security purposes.

The adjacent buildings are St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church and another structure

in relation to the church. Across the street, as mentioned earlier is Mother Mathilda Beasley

Park, as well as Hubert Middle School. In relation to the city plan, this location is on the very

outskirts of the streets surrounding Whitfield Square. This is understandable in relation to the

Oglethorpe Plan that Savannah was built upon. This plan uses a distinctive street network with

repeating squares of residential blocks, commercial blocks, and small green parks to create

integrated, walkable neighborhoods.4 Another building in Savannah that was built in the same

style and only one year earlier than the St Francis Convent, is the Bank of America on Bull

Street. While the exterior material and window layout are different, this building also contains

dentilled cornices and pilasters with doric column capitals. The Lee County Courthouse in

Leesburg, Georgia is my second example of a similar building. This structure was built in 1918

and shares a similar window layout, red brick exterior, and cupola design with the convent.

However, the differences include a full portico with columns and pediment. Being a bank and a

courthouse, both of these buildings fall in line with the type of structure that the Neoclassical

Style was mainly used for.

Mother Beasley’s work with African American nuns and orphans definitely proved to be

the most important information in the history of this building. I also find it very fitting that this

building is now being used by SCAD as a center for historic preservation. This project was a

great reminder of the history that is deeply ingrained in buildings I see every day, even more so

in Savannah due to the city's age and SCAD’s preservation and repurposing work. I found this

realization to be even more powerful, due to the fact that this building is less than a four minute

walk from where I am currently living. Overall, this project was very eye opening and I'm happy

with the structure I chose to analyze.

Works cited

"Clarence Thomas Center For Historic Preservation | SCAD.Edu". 2021. SCAD.Edu.

"Classical Revival Style 1895 - 1950 | PHMC > Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide". 2021.
Phmc.State.Pa.Us.
http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/portal/communities/architecture/styles/classical-revival.html
.

"Mathilda Beasley And The Catholic Church". 2021. Georgia Historical Society.
https://georgiahistory.com/education-outreach/online-exhibits/featured-historical-figures/
mother-mathilda-beasley/mathilda-beasley-and-the-catholic-church/.

"Oglethorpe Plan - Wikipedia". 2021. En.Wikipedia.Org.