James Lull was a Vermont born, Philadelphia trained architect who was responsible for many of most impressive buildings in mid-19th century Columbus. He introduced to Columbus the correct formal use of Greek Revival style in the design of structures. The Columbus First Baptist Church, for which he began design work in 1835, was considered one of the most beautiful churches in the South.
Lull was active in the building trades in Columbus from the mid-1830s to 1871. The severe masculine style of Greek Revival architecture in which he excelled was actually more kin to his Northern roots than to the Greek style more commonly found in the South. According to Ken P’Pool, “Lull demonstrated in his work such a skillful understanding of architectural proportion that he could well have been the author of any of Columbus’ finer buildings constructed between 1840 and 1870.”
The surviving residences in Columbus that are known, or thought, to have been built, remodeled or designed by Lull include Camellia Place (Seventh Street North), the Lee Home (Seventh Street North), Leighcrest (Seventh Street North), Wisteria Place (Eighth Avenue North), Cedar Ridge (old Aberdeen Road), Riverview (Second Street South), Whitehall (Third Street South), Belle Bridge (Fourth Avenue South), Amzi Love (Seventh Street South) and Ashlawn (Fifth Avenue South). Lull was also responsible for many of the most important public buildings in Columbus. In addition to First Baptist Church, he designed the now also lost 1846 City Hall and the now greatly altered and enlarged 1847 Courthouse. In 1860, he designed a large brick dormitory for the Columbus Female Institute. According to P’Pool, the structure is one of the first High Victorian Gothic style buildings constructed in America. It is now Calloway Hall on the MUW campus.
The First Baptist Church in Columbus, which was designed and built by Lull, was completed in September of 1839. In a letter dated February 29, 1840, he wrote, “I am very busy at present. I have several contracts on hand which I shall have to complete before I can take time to visit my friends. I employ from eight to 10 hands. I have built one of the best churches in the Southern states erected at the expense of $27,000. I commenced it April 1835 and completed it last Sept.” The church bore a striking resemblance to the National Landmark ca. 1752 St Michael’s Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Lull’s classic structure was torn down to make way for the present church in 1908.
In 1847, Lull built a residence for himself, Camellia Place. It is a heavy classical and masculine expression of Greek Revival style. It was a version of Greek Revival uncommon in Mississippi, which set the tone for Greek Revival in Columbus. Riverview, which was occupied in 1852, though not totally completed until 1853, is simply a larger more ornate version of Camellia Place.
Typical of houses built in the style of and typical of Lull but without concrete evidence that he was the architect is Whitehall, which was constructed in 1843.
Not all of Lull’s residential designs were strictly Greek Revival. The Lee Home which was completed in 1847 was designed by Lull. The house appears to be a mixture of the Greek Revival Style with the Roman Revival style.
Lull was not just an architect and the range of his activities in Columbus is amazing. From January 1856 till shortly before his death in 1871 he took weather observations for the Smithsonian Institution. These were apparently made at his home, Camellia Place. He served frequently as city selectman in Columbus between 1842 and the mid-1860s. Work he performed in addition to designing and constructing buildings included draining swamps, designing bridges and designing and building an above ground cistern. Prior to the Civil War he also served as a trustee of the Columbus Female Institute.
I have been greatly assisted in this column by the research of Carolyn Kaye, Gary Lancaster, Ken P’Pool and the tireless efforts of the late Sam Kaye to unravel the little known life of James Lull, who played such a major role in the building of Columbus.
Rufus Ward is a Columbus native a local historian. E-mail your questions about local history to Rufus at [email protected].
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