Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Art institute in Augusta, Georgia, US.

The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art occupies the 1818 Nicholas Ware House in Augusta, a Federal-style building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its best-known interior feature is a three-story elliptical staircase. The house was built for $40,000, and its costly detailing earned it the nickname Ware's Folly.

The house was completed in 1818 for Nicholas Ware, mayor of Augusta and later a U.S. senator, at a cost of $40,000. Olivia Herbert founded the Augusta Art Club in 1937 and renamed it in memory of her daughter, Gertrude Herbert Dunn. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The institute serves as a community space where local and regional artists share their work, and visitors encounter contemporary art throughout the year. Exhibitions rotate regularly, reflecting the creative energy of the area.

The location is walkable from downtown and sits in a multi-story building that is accessible from the street. Be aware that the elliptical staircase is narrow in places, so galleries on upper floors take some effort to reach.

The building earned the nickname 'Ware's Folly' in the early 1800s because its construction was seen as extravagantly expensive for the time. What locals once questioned has become one of the city's valued cultural destinations.