Built in 1819 to a design by English architect William Jay, the Owens-Thomas House is considered one of the finest examples of English Regency architecture in the United States. The building is almost impossibly refined for a provincial American city of the period — curving stone staircases, cast-iron balconies, and interiors that have survived largely intact.
The house is now a museum operated by the Telfair Museums, and the guided tours are among the best in the city. The tour covers not just the architecture and the wealthy families who lived here but also the lives of the enslaved people held on the property — the preserved slave quarters in the carriage house are part of the standard tour and handled seriously.
Lafayette stayed here during his 1825 American tour, addressing a crowd from the south balcony.