John Norris, Architect

The Massie School was designed by John Norris, arguably the most important architect of mid-nineteenth century Savannah. Born in New York in 1804, Norris’ first important commission was the Customs House in Wilmington, North Carolina. That achievement  won him his first commission in Savannah: the U.S. Custom House (1852) located on East Bay Street. His work on the Custom House was very well-received, leading to numerous other commissions here. During his fourteen years of activity in Savannah,(1846-1860), Norris became quite involved in the life of the city, even cutting patterns for children’s clothing at The Bethesda Orphanage.

Perhaps Norris’ greatest achievements in Savannah were the houses he built for affluent citizens: Three of the most significant residences are now open to the public: The Green-Meldrim House (1853-1856) on Madison Square, Mercer House (1859-1866) on Monterrey Square, and The Andrew Low House (1849) ,on Lafayette Square. The Green-Meldrim House, distinguished by its cast-iron entrance and porches, its sweeping domed stairway, and its romantic second-floor oriel windows, remains one of the most striking buildings in the Historic District. For Mercer House, Norris chose an Italianate style with vigorous brackets repeated under the eaves all the way around the house and muscular sculptured hoods above each window.

Norris was more than just an architect of luxurious houses for the wealthy, however, he was also a versatile designer of less elaborate, but more functional buildings. Among these are the Abrahams Home for Indigent Females at 548 East Broughton, the Unitarian Meeting House, Stoddard’s Upper and Lower Range -a row of multi-storied warehouses on the Savannah River now used as retail and residential loft space - and the Cockspur Island Lighthouse.
 
 John Norris’ design for the Massie School is distinguished by its symmetry and pleasing simplicity.  The entrance foyer is flanked by identical staircases on either side – one for girls and one for boys.  These are echoed by separate girls’ and boys’ gardens beyond.  Though it is a two-story structure, the simple form of a one-room school house is implied by the school bell tower crowning the central pediment. Continuing the symmetry are the unornamented shallow arches across the façade, as well as a pair of identically arched wings, both added later.  This unadorned Greek Revival design declares its reliability and solidity, without intruding on the primarily residential scale of the surrounding neighborhood.

The threat of the approaching war caused John Norris to return to New York in 1861.  He never saw Savannah again, and died on his farm in Blauvelt, New York in 1876. Norris’
architectural legacy - 150 years later - is out of all proportion to his brief time in the city, and remains in its variety and dignity unsurpassed by any other architect in the history of Savannah.