The city of Savannah, Province of Georgia, was laid out in 1733, in what was colonial America, around four open squares, each surrounded by four residential "tithing") blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks. The layout of a square and eight surrounding blocks was known as a "ward." The original plan was part of a larger regional plan that included gardens, farms, and "outlying villages." Once the four wards were developed in the mid-1730s, two additional wards were laid. Oglethorpe's agrarian balance was abandoned after the Georgia Trustee period. Additional squares were added during the late 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were 24 squares in the city. In the 20th century, three of the squares were demolished or altered beyond recognition, leaving 21. In 2010, one of the three "lost" squares, Ellis, was reclaimed, bringing the total to today's 22.
William Gibbons Preston was an American architect who practiced during the last third of the nineteenth century and in the first decade of the twentieth. Educated at Harvard University and the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he was active in Boston, New York, Rhode Island, Ohio, New Brunswick and Savannah, Georgia, where he was brought by George Johnson Baldwin to design the Chatham County courthouse. Preston stayed in Savannah for several years during which time designed the original Desoto Hotel, the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory and 20 other distinguished public buildings and private homes. He began his professional career working for his father, the builder and architect Jonathan Preston (1801–1888), upon his return to the United States from the École in 1861, and was the sole practitioner in the office from the time his father retired c. 1875 until he took John Kahlmeyer as a partner in about 1885.
Historic Hotels of America is a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation that was founded in 1989 with 32 charter members; the program accepts nominations and identifies hotels in the United States that have maintained their authenticity, sense of place, and architectural integrity.
The Marshall House is a historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It was opened in 1852 by Mary Magdalene Marshall as one of Savannah's first hotels, built thirty years after the City Hotel, the city's first. Located on East Broughton Street, it is the city's oldest operating hotel today, owned by Savannah's HLC Hotels, Inc., which also owns the city's Olde Harbour Inn, the Eliza Thompson House, the East Bay Inn, the Gastonian and the Kehoe House. The building was occupied by the Union Army in 1864 and 1865 during the American Civil War.
504–516 East Factors Walk is a historic range of buildings in Savannah, Georgia, United States. The buildings date to 1889, when a three-year construction process began, but the earlier warehouse that stood at the location dated to 1812. The new construction added several pedestrian bridges that connect the building to the "Green" between the adjacent Rossiter Place and East Bay Street, passing over East Factors Walk. It is now Olde Harbour Inn.
Jones Street is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is named for major John Jones, aide-de-camp to brigadier general Lachlan McIntosh at the 1779 siege of Savannah during the American Revolutionary War.
21 West Bay Street is a historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located a block south of the Savannah River in the Savannah Historic District, the building dates from 1821.
17 Hundred 90 Inn & Restaurant is a historic inn, restaurant and tavern in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located on East President Street, just west of Columbia Square, it is Savannah's oldest inn, occupying a building dating to 1790, thus pre-dating the foundation of the square. The entrance to its tavern is at the corner of Lincoln Street and East York Street.
Greene Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is the easternmost square in the second row of the city's five rows of squares. The square is located on Houston Street and East President Street, and is south of Washington Square, east of Columbia Square and north of Crawford Square. The oldest buildings on the square are at 510 East York Street, 509 East President Street and 503 East President Street, each in the southwestern trust/civic block, which are believed to have been built at the same time as the square itself (1799).
Columbia Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the second row of the city's five rows of squares, on Habersham Street and East President Street. It is south of Warren Square and between Oglethorpe Square to the west and Greene Square to the east. The oldest building on the square is at 307 East President Street, today's 17 Hundred 90 Inn, which, as its name suggests, dates to the 18th century.
Oglethorpe Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the second row of the city's five rows of squares, on Abercorn Street and East President Street, and was laid out in 1742. It is south of Reynolds Square, west of Columbia Square, north of Colonial Park Cemetery and east of Wright Square. The oldest building on the square is the Owens–Thomas House, at 124 Abercorn Street, which dates 1819.
Madison Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the fourth row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Macon Street, and was laid out in 1837. It is south of Chippewa Square, west of Lafayette Square, north of Monterey Square and east of Pulaski Square. The square is named for James Madison, fourth president of the United States. The oldest building on the square is the Sorrel–Weed House, at 6 West Harris Street, which dates to 1840.
Lafayette Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the fourth row of the city's five rows of squares, on Abercorn Street and East Macon Street, and was laid out in 1837. It is south of Colonial Park Cemetery, west of Troup Square, north of Taylor Square and east of Madison Square. The square is named for Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, the French hero of the American Revolution who visited Savannah in 1825. The oldest building on the square is the Andrew Low House, at 329 Abercorn Street, which dates to 1849.
The Hamilton–Turner Inn is a historic mansion in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1873, it is located at 330 Abercorn Street in the southeastern trust/civic lot of Lafayette Square. It is now a luxury inn.
William Kehoe was an Irish businessman who emigrated to Savannah, Georgia, where he became a successful iron founder. The Kehoe Iron Works is now named for him.
Drayton Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Bull Street to the west and Abercorn Street to the east, it runs for about 2 miles (3.2 km) from East Bay Street in the north to East Victory Drive in the south. It is named for Ann Drayton, a member of a noted family in Charleston, South Carolina, who had lent four sawyers to assist colonists in building one of the first homes in Savannah. The street is one-way (northbound). Its northern section passes through the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
Broughton Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Congress Street to the north and State Street to the south, it runs for about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the west to East Broad Street in the east. Originally known only as Broughton Street singular, its addresses are now split between "West Broughton Street" and "East Broughton Street", the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area. Broughton Street is named for Thomas Broughton, lieutenant-governor of South Carolina.
Congress Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Bryan Street to the north and Broughton Street to the south, it runs for about 0.76 miles (1.22 km) from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the west, through the city's City Market, to East Broad Street in the east. Originally known only as Congress Street singular, its addresses are now split between "West Congress Street" and "East Congress Street", the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area. The street is entirely within Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
Oglethorpe Avenue is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located, in its downtown section, between York Street to the north and Hull Street to the south, it runs for about 1.26 miles (2.03 km) from the Atlantic Coastal Highway in the west to Randolph Street in the east. It was originally known as South Broad Street, then Market Street. After being named South Broad Street again for a period, it became known as Oglethorpe Avenue in 1897. It was formerly Oglethorpe Avenue singular, but its addresses are now split between "West Oglethorpe Avenue" and "East Oglethorpe Avenue", the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area. The street is named for the founder of the Savannah colony, James Edward Oglethorpe.
Trustees' Garden was an area of today's Savannah, Georgia, established by General James Oglethorpe shortly after his 1733 arrival in the city. It was dedicated to Oglethorpe's trustees. It was located to the east of Oglethorpe's original plan of Savannah, on land, near the bluff overlooking the Savannah River, and now partly occupied by Pirates' House (1794) and Herb House (1853), both on East Broad Street. It is now part of the Savannah Historic District.
