SAVANNAH’S EVOLUTION

How new development, historic preservation coexist in Georgia’s oldest city

The Savannah City Market traced its roots back to 1733, the same year Gen. James Oglethorpe founded the city itself. It became a hub of local activity, a place where locals would buy and sell fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and livestock. It persevered through numerous fires and the Civil War, when parts of the market were used as a military hospital. But it always endured as a focus of Savannah life and commerce—until 1954 when it was demolished, and a parking garage was constructed on the site.

That was the episode that sparked the preservation movement in Georgia’s oldest city, one plainly evident in the National Historic Landmark District that encompasses much of downtown. The Savannah many know today—the city of squares, parks, gardens, historic buildings and moss-draped coastal charm—is an enduring testament to that movement, which began in earnest in 1955 when seven local women bonded together to block the demolition of an 1820s home and formed what is now the Historic Savannah Foundation.

That effort has paid dividends in more ways than one—fueled largely by its timeless character, the city attracted nearly 17 million visitors who spent $4.4. billion in 2022, the most recent year for which figures were available from the Savannah Area Chamber. But the same commitment to preservation that serves as a magnet for tourists can also present a quandary for architects and engineers: mainly, how do you create new developments and build new infrastructure in a city that’s so fiercely protective of the old?

“I consider it a constructive process,” said Jim Collins, PE, a Savannah native and senior vice president and regional director in the Savannah office of Thomas & Hutton. “Now, I've had developers from out of town come in and they're like, ‘Wow, we've never dealt with anything like this.’ Well, you wouldn't, because frankly, it doesn't exist anywhere else. There are portions of it that are laid out and easily understood, but the devil is sort of in the details. That's where you work with staff, you present at these commission meetings, you garner feedback, and I think you end up with a design compatible to the historic structures that surround it.”

The Savannah Historic Board of Review, created in 1973, sets the rules for any new development or restoration work within the National Historic Landmark District. New construction projects are evaluated first on height and mass and secondly on design details, with exhaustive checklists required in each case. Work in one of the city’s seven other historic districts requires the granting of a “Certificate of Appropriateness” from the Historic Preservation Committee, which was formed in 2019.

“Historic preservation is still important in Savannah in order to protect, preserve and celebrate three centuries of history. Our mission is to save the buildings, places and stories that define Savannah’s past, present and future,” said Sue Adler, the president and chief executive officer of the Historic Savannah Foundation.

“Issues like regional growth, traffic and affordable housing have put a real strain on our community resources. Savannah is facing threats to our Historic Landmark District from rising waves of tourism and development. It's important that we respect Savannah's past and that we be thoughtful about planning for the future, so we don't sacrifice the qualities that make our city so special.”

If anything, the commitment to preservation has become so deep-rooted within Savannah that architects, engineers and construction professionals understand that it’s part of doing business in one of the city’s historic districts. That much immediately became clear to Bert Brantley in early 2023, when he moved to Savannah from Atlanta after two decades in state government to become the new president and chief executive officer of the Savannah Area Chamber.

“It has to be done a certain way, for sure. And if somebody comes from ‘outside’ Savannah, they learn that really quickly. I certainly did, right?” Brantley said. “I'd been coming here for years, did a lot of work down here, had a lot of respect for it. But when you get here, one of the first things you find out is, there's absolutely an expectation that we're all going to work on this stuff together and try to come to as good an outcome as possible. Because we're all going to be judged on it 50 years from now.”

Old Influencing The New

The site was originally a coal-fired power plant, built in 1912. Known as Riverside Station, it provided electricity to Savannah for more than 92 years before being decommissioned in 2005. Today the twin, 176-foot-tall smokestacks still loom over the Savannah River, and the old brick exterior still gleams in the sunshine. But the place generates a very different type of electricity—one stemming from over a dozen different restaurants, numerous shops and nightlife spots, and a J.W. Marriott hotel.

Now called Plant Riverside, the $375 million undertaking was the largest redevelopment project in the history of Savannah's National Historic Landmark District. Adler calls it “a successful example of how an abandoned, boarded-up former power plant on River Street can be restored and given new life as a vibrant mixed-use development.”

That blending of the new and historic doesn’t just uphold Savannah’s commitment to preservation—it’s also smart business. Why is Savannah so popular among tourists, after all? To a large degree it’s the city’s history, architecture, and a street network of picturesque squares laid out as part of the Oglethorpe Town Plan designed by the city’s founder. A modern development that echoes the past certainly fits the vibe of what visitors and even downtown residents are looking for.

“You just have to look at it downtown Savannah, and look at the infill that's been done here, to see how successful it is and how desirable it is,” Collins said. “ And these developers see that, and certainly want to use those same principles, because it sells. It's very popular. So yes, I definitely think it's influenced the new developments that we're seeing.”

That approach even impacts newer developments located outside of the National Historic Landmark District, and therefore not subject to its exacting building and design guidelines. Eastern Wharf, a 54-acre mixed-use project on the river just beyond the historic footprint, features retail, office and residential spaces, an expansive park, and a 196-room, Hyatt-operated Thompson Hotel. The project started in the early 2000s, stalled out due to the financial downturn, changed owners, and finally opened its first phase in the spring of 2021.

In its architecture and scale, Eastern Wharf is “very derivative of Savannah, because you have commercial development, you have multifamily, you have a hotel there, you have open space,” Collins said. “Eastern Wharf was intended to be an extension of the grid of downtown Savannah—basically an extension of the Oglethorpe Plan, with lanes, buildings that face the street and open space. It’s been an unqualified success.”

While the development went before Savannah City County 58 times for approval, according to a 2019 New York Times story, Brantley believes Eastern Wharf has “a feel that fits in Savannah, even though it's obviously new,” he said. “It's new development, and right outside the Landmark Historic District. Even in those areas, many developments have an aesthetic feel to them, as if they’re extending out the Historic District even beyond its borders.”

Through it all, the Historic Savannah Foundation serves as a watchdog of sorts, with members regularly attending city planning and zoning meetings and making their feelings known on specific projects. The foundation’s Revolving Fund has helped save more than 420 neglected or vacant properties. And it extolls newer developments that have done things the right way—like the headquarters building of the Bouhan Falligant law firm, built in 2017 but honoring the past with its spaced pilasters and stone corniche.

“Preservation and new development can absolutely coexist,” Adler said, “but that requires a commitment on the part of the developer to respect the existing built environment in Savannah, which is historic and meaningful, and to be sensitive to the potential impact that their project can have on the city for generations to come.”

‘THE PERFECT BALANCE’

While city leaders have worked to cut down on the drunkenness that once defined it, St. Patrick’s Day remains a very big deal in Savannah, which puts on one of the biggest Saint Paddy’s parades in America. For the last two years, Brantley has accompanied the police chief and hospitality officials on a walking tour of Savannah’s waterfront on St. Patrick’s night. And what he found was that revelers were gathered less in the city’s famed River Street area, and more in newer developments like Eastern Wharf and Plant Riverside on either end.

“They were in the newer areas with newer restaurants, newer bars. There's a safer feel, they’re more well-lit, there’s a real difference,” Brantley said. “Years ago, they would have been in the River Street district, because you wouldn't even have these two developments on each end. So people are voting with their with their feet, right? They're voting with their wallet, and they're going to these places that are part of these new developments, or places that are adjacent to them.”

River Street has long been integral to Savannah—it was the original home of the city’s port, and a hub of the cotton trade into the 1950s. In the 1970s, the area was transformed through a $7 million project that added a new waterfront plaza and converted 80,000 square feet of abandoned warehouse space in a variety of shops, restaurants, bars and art galleries. It’s where tourists sample River Street Sweets, hop aboard Savannah Riverboat Cruises, and dine at the Cotton Exchange Tavern still today.

But that 1970s renovation was a long time ago, and River Street is in need of newer infrastructure, hardscaping and lighting, among other things. Toward that end, the Savannah’s Waterfront Community Improvement District was formed by area property owners, who are paying an additional assessment to raise funds that will be used to improve the River Street district. At a 2 mill levy, the assessment would generate annual revenue of approximately $600,000. The CID has been initially approved for a six-year term.

“They have the approvals, and they're already applying for state grants and federal grants and matching funds,” Brantley said. “It’s not going to happen overnight, but it’s needed. Think about it—businesses down there on the waterfront are literally choosing to tax themselves more in order to contribute to this work. How many people volunteer for their taxes to go higher? That’s the level of commitment, because they know the money is going to be spent in that area.”

River Street isn’t the only prominent area within Savannah’s Historic Landmark District due for a facelift. The opening of the 9,500-seat Enmarket Arena in 2022 rendered Savannah’s 50-year-old Civic Center Arena obsolete. After much public input the city developed a plan to demolish the 9,700-seat arena, restore the adjacent 2,500-seat Johnny Mercer Theatre, and restore the parts of the square that were lost to the original civic center construction according to the city’s original Oglethorpe Plan.

That plan was finalized by Savannah City Council in June, earning approval from the Historic Savannah Foundation. “We believe the city should remove the Arena at The Civic Center, while finding some way to honor the history of this building. The Johnny Mercer Theater should remain in place in order to give the community time to thoughtfully assess the future of the theater site,” Adler said.

“Any new buildings constructed on the lots should be in accordance with the Oglethorpe Plan and the original lot structure,” she added. “This proposition provides for over two-thirds of the site to be restored to the Oglethorpe Plan in the short-term, and a plan for all of the site to be restored over time while restoring nearby areas of the Landmark District.”

The remainder of the square, Brantley said, would be restored whenever a replacement for the Johnny Mercer Theatre is constructed. The Civic Center case serves as a prime example of how new development and historic preservation can exist side-by-side in Savannah, at times even pursuing and achieving the same goals.

“The Civic Center project encapsulates that entire community-wide conversation of, ‘What do we do?’ Here's this idea, let’s talk it all through and then come to a solution that we feel is the perfect balance of some restoration and preservation that's achievable here,” Brantley said. “We have future work to do, and we'll do that at the appropriate time. So I think it's a perfect example of what really we have built here in Savannah, which is a great process for considering these kinds of projects.”