Machen Square West

Machen Square West. . . Machen Square originally called “Machen Place,” is the northernmost of the original colonial squares along Newcastle Street. For the century of the city’s existence, there was little development on either side of Machen Square. In the 1880s, landmark structures were built adjacent to and near Machen Square, and its importance in the city’s history was permanently established. . . The Masterpiece on Machen Square . A business boom inspired Brunswick business and community leader, Major Columbia Downing, to charter the National Bank of Brunswick in 1884. Alfred Eichberg, architect for Historic City Hall on Queen Square designed the bank building on Machen Square in the popular Richardson-Romanesque revival style. The top two floors housed offices of several prominent local attorneys. Postcard (above) courtesy of Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association. . . The Grand Lady of Downtown . In 1888, Brunswick celebrated the opening of the magnificent Oglethorpe Hotel on the block adjacent to Machen Square west. Guests coming to the famed Jekyll Island Club often spent their first night on the Georgia coast in the Oglethorpe Hotel, awaiting the next ferryboat to the private island resort. The hotel helped to establish Brunswick as a prime winter tourism location, and became the center of social activities for the city. Postcard (above) courtesy of Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association. . . A New Look . In 1958, the bank on Machen Square changed its name to the First National Bank of Brunswick, and sold the building to the S.H. Kress Corporation, which operated a retail store adjacent to the bank. Both structures were demolished and combined into one, with a porcelain-enamel façade on the Newcastle Street frontage. Photo courtesy of Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association. . . Loss of a Legend . The city lost another landmark in 1958 when owners of the Oglethorpe Hotel could no longer afford upkeep and repairs to the aging structure. To the dismay of many Brunswick citizens, the hotel was demolished and replaced by a three-story motel. Photos (above) courtesy of Golden Isles Arts & Humanities Association. . . Reclaimed Treasures . Brunswick resident Huling Tower Armstrong and his wife Katharine (left) saved some of the Oglethorpe Hotel’s lovely Italian marble tiles from the dining room before demolition. Their daughter Katharine Armstrong Clark, son Richard Armstrong and his wife Martha donated the tiles to Signature Squares to honor their parents’ memory. Today, these tiles, engraved with the names of preservation supporters, are a permanent part of Machen Square. Photo courtesy of Richard and Martha Armstrong, and Katharine Armstrong Clark. . . A Return to Beauty . Machen Square West was given a new life in 2012 when local citizens volunteered hundreds of hours to beautify the formerly neglected park. Here, crossing walkways and balanced plantings provide a lovely place to enjoy another green space as originally envisioned by the city’s founders. Photos courtesy of Jerry Spencer, ALA, and Troup Nightingale, Southeastern Photography. . . In 1771, the city of Brunswick. Georgia was laid out according to "the Oglethorpe Plan," named after the colony's founder. General James Edward Oglethorpe. The design featured a grid of 14 large and small squares. The intention of the plan was to create permanent, park-like common areas throughout the city. The squares still bear their original names, which reveal Brunswick's strong historic ties to England. . . Signature Squares of Brunswick, a non-profit organization founded to restore and preserve the parks and squares within the historic district of Brunswick, gratefully acknowledges the research contributions of Mia Knight Nichols and the support of the City of Brunswick: Delong-Sweet Foundation: The Garden Club of Georgia, Inc., Magnolia Garden Club; Jekyll Island Authority; Friends of Coastal Georgia History: Downtown Development Authority; Plum Creek Foundation; Jerry Spencer, ASLA, Landscape Architect. . This historical marker was erected in 2008 by Signature Squares of Brunswick. It is in Brunswick in Glynn County Georgia