Theatre and Shops
Augusta, Georgia

Jay turned up in Augusta with a subscription scheme for a new theatre and shops. Although his drawings or any buildings that might have been erected from them have not survived, Jay's description has:

August Chronicle
April 22, 1822, William Jay.—
...At our request, Mr. Jay has furnished us with the outline of his proposed Theatre. “It is of the Grecian order—the front will exhibit four Antae pilasters, supporting an entablature of the Corinthian order—in the centre will be three doors, leading to the vestibule, in which is the Box office—this department is appropriated for those in waiting, and to afford shelter to those who have to obtain tickets—you ascend a small flight of steps to the lobby landing, in front of the dress circle, and on the right to the staircase to the second tier—at the back of the second tier is a large and spacious saloon for refreshments, so far removed from the audience, that they will experience no inconvenience. “The first or dress circle, will be divided into nine boxes, the backs of which will be enclosed and made perfectly warm in the winter.—The pit will have no entrance though the boxes, but kept entirely distinct, preventing the confusion which frequently takes place in the lower tier.—One advantage will be derived from this design—the staircases and lobbies are distinct from the theatre—the ingress and egress is easy, the vestibule having five entrances. “The plan of the theatre is of the most approved and modern shape—the Proscenium of the state is formed by four Corinthian columns, supporting an arch from which springs the dome of the Theatre—between the columns are the state doors. The lower tier of boxes will be decorated with a series of designs, illustrative of Painting and Music, from the earliest ages of barbarism, to their present union on the state. The boxes will be supported with small cast iron columns, gilded, and which will support arches in the upper tier—the other boxes will have characteristic ornaments. “The decorations in the Theatre will be gold on a white ground, contrasted with a rich crimson which will be the color of the back of the boxes; the circling will have a paneled dome, from which will be suspended a large chandelier, to the light the theatre, the plan now universally adopted in Europe. It has been the peculiar care of the artist to afford to each person a view of the stage, and a hearing of the actor—to combine utility with elegance: it is calculated to hold eight hundred dollars [sic]. “The stores in Broad-street present a front of 50 feet, with column and pilaster, over which is seen the Theatre.”