W. B. Hodgson Hall is a historic building in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, United States, built in 1876. Designed by the

American Institute of Architects The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is a professional organization for architects in the United States. It is headquartered in Washington, D.C. AIA offers education, government advocacy, community redevelopment, and public outreach progr ...

' founder

Detlef Lienau Detlef Lienau (17 February 1818 – 29 August 1887) was a German architect born in Holstein. He is credited with having introduced the Rococo, French style to American building construction, notably the mansard roof and all its decorative flourish ...

, it is now the home of

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia, United States. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, ex ...

's Research Center.Hodgson Hall
–

The building is located at 501

Whitaker Street Whitaker Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Barnard Street to the west and Bull Street to the east, it runs for about from West Bay Street in the north to West Victory Drive (U.S. Route 80) in ...

, in the northwestern corner of

Forsyth Park Forsyth Park (formerly known as the Military Parade Ground)''Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah'', Martha Gallaudet Waring, ''The Georgia Historical Quarterly'', JSTOR (1929), p. 34 is a large city park that occupies in ...

William B. Hodgson

The building was a gift of Margaret Telfair Hodgson and her sister,

Mary Telfair Mary Telfair (January 28, 1791 – June 2, 1875)Mary Telfair
–

(see

Telfair Academy The Telfair Academy is a historic mansion at 121 Barnard Street in Savannah, Georgia. It was designed by William Jay (architect), William Jay and built in 1818, and is one of a small number of Jay's surviving works. It is one of three sites ow ...

), as a memorial to Margaret's husband, William Brown Hodgson (1801–1871), a prominent Savannah citizen, American diplomat and scholar of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. Hodgson died on June 26, 1871, while on a visit to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Hodgson was a member of the Georgia Historical Society, and one of its curators for 25 years. Hodgson is buried in Savannah's

Bonaventure Cemetery Bonaventure Cemetery is a rural cemetery located on a scenic bluff of the Wilmington River, southeast of downtown Savannah, Georgia. The cemetery's prominence grew when it was featured in the 1994 novel '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Ev ...

. Although he arranged with (and paid) William H. Wiltberger for burial lot 13 of section D, he was interred in lot 19 of the same section. The family of

Noble Jones Noble Jones (June 20, 1702 – November 2, 1775), an English-born carpenter, was one of the first settlers of the Province of Georgia in colonial America and one of its leading officials. He was born in Herefordshire. As part of General James ...

, including his son

Noble Wimberly Jones Noble Wimberly Jones (c. 1723 – January 9, 1805) was an American physician and statesman from Savannah, Georgia. A leading Georgia patriot in the American Revolution, he served as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1781 and 1782. ...

, occupies lot 13.''Historic Bonaventure Cemetery: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society'', Amie Marie Wilson, Mandi Dale Johnson,

(1998), p. 20

References

{{Registered Historic Places Buildings and structures completed in 1876 Office buildings in Savannah, Georgia National Register of Historic Places in Savannah, Georgia Libraries on the National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state) Savannah Historic District