{"nrhp_refnum":"71000271","name":"Sturges, Oliver, House","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"27 Abercorn St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Savannah","county":"Chatham County","state":"GA","lat":32.079316584000026,"lon":-81.08989928499994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1971-07-14","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick townhouse at 27 Abercorn Street, facing Reynolds Square in Savannah, Georgia, built about 1812-1813 by Oliver Sturges and Benjamin Burroughs. It is the surviving half of a pair of mirror-image townhouses.","why_significant":"The house is presented as a typical early 19th-century row house and one of only two remaining houses of a once-fashionable residential district around Reynolds Square. Its parlor is said to be where plans were made for the S.S. Savannah's transatlantic crossing, a venture Sturges helped finance. The lot was also the colonial minister's house site, where John Wesley lived in 1736-37.","narrative":"Facing Reynolds Square in Savannah, this three-story brick townhouse at 27 Abercorn Street was built around 1812-1813 by merchants Oliver Sturges and Benjamin Burroughs, brothers-in-law and business partners. It is the only survivor of a pair of mirror-image houses; its companion was demolished for a hotel between 1911 and 1916. The house has a stuccoed ballast-stone and brick basement, brownstone lintels and sills, a Palladian window above the entrance, and a rear octagonal bay. A third story was added around 1850-1860. Inside are a columnar screen in the hall, paneled parlors and a decorated mantel. The lot was originally set aside for the colony's minister, and John Wesley lived there in 1736-37. Sturges helped finance the S.S. Savannah's 1819 transatlantic voyage. Historic Savannah Foundation saved the building from demolition in 1964 and placed preservation covenants on it.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Oliver Sturges and Benjamin Burroughs (builders/owners)","architectural_style":"Georgian townhouse (early 19th-century row house)","criteria":[],"status_note":"Held for sale for restoration and used for tours; owned by Historic Savannah Foundation, which rescued it from demolition in 1964 and placed protective covenants on it. Listed as unoccupied.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:40.559287-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/71000271.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000271/65e638cfad-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/71000271/65e638cfad-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Smallbones","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OliverSturgesHouse.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Smallbones</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:OliverSturgesHouse.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"66000277","name":"Savannah Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/georgia/savannah-historic-district-66000277/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207359","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oliver_Sturges_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q106317357"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/chatham-county/sturges-oliver-house-71000271/"}