Savannah City Hall

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Savannah City Hall
City Hall, Savannah GA, South view 20160705 1.jpg
Savannah City Hall (2016)
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Location within Georgia
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Savannah City Hall (the United States)
General information
Architectural style Renaissance Revival
Address2 East Bay Street
Savannah, Georgia, United States
Coordinates 32°4′52″N81°5′28″W / 32.08111°N 81.09111°W / 32.08111; -81.09111
GroundbreakingAugust 11, 1904
Completed1905
OpenedJanuary 2, 1906
Cost$250,000
Height139.99 feet (42.67 m)
Technical details
Floor count6
Lifts/elevators1
Design and construction
Architect(s) Hyman Witcover
References
"Emporis building ID 124515". Emporis . Archived from the original on November 6, 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

Savannah City Hall is the seat of government for the city of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Designed by architect Hyman Witcover, the building was built between 1904 and 1905 and opened the following year. It is a contributing property to the Savannah Historic District.

Contents

History

The location for the city hall was formerly home to the City Exchange, which had been built in 1799 and was demolished in 1904. [1] Following the building's demolition, the cornerstone for the city hall was laid on August 11, 1904 in a large ceremony. [2] The architect behind the project was Hyman Witcover, who is notable for several other buildings in the area, [3] while construction was handled by the Savannah Contracting Company. [4] The construction occurred during the administration of Savannah Mayor Herman Myers, who pursued numerous public works projects during his tenure as mayor. [5] Commenting on the building, Myers reported that, "it will typify the twentieth century Savannah, the Savannah of indomitable energy, of punishing progressiveness," [6] and that the building is "a monument to the progressive spirit that marks the Savannah of today." [7] The building was the first building built solely to serve as the seat of government for the city. [4]

The construction of the building cost upwards of $250,000 and was completed in 1905. [7] The building, located across the street from the United States Customhouse, [8] is an example of Renaissance Revival architecture and featured an exterior of limestone and granite, capped by a copper dome. [4] Initial plans called for four statues of chariots on the tops of the building's four corners, but financial limitations prevented this. [9] The building officially opened on January 2, 1906. In 1987, the dome was covered in gold leaf. [4] In 2014, the Georgia Historical Society, working with the mayor and aldermen, erected a Georgia historical marker at the city hall. [4]

Related Research Articles

The following is a timeline of the history of Savannah, Georgia, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyman Witcover</span> American architect

Hyman Wallace Witcover was an architect prominent in Savannah, Georgia. He worked as a draftsman for Alfred Eichberg and eventually partnered with him.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colonial Park Cemetery</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Civil War Memorial (Savannah, Georgia)</span> War memorial in Savannah, Georgia

The Civil War Memorial in Savannah, Georgia, is a monument honoring soldiers who died during the American Civil War. Located in Forsyth Park, it consists of a 48 foot (15 m) tall shaft topped with a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier. Two bronze busts commemorating notable Confederate army officers flank the monument, which is protected by a railing, one of the only two that still stand around a monument, the other being the Casimir Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square. Originally known as the Confederate Monument, it was dedicated in 1875 to honor Confederate soldiers who died during the Civil War. Following the Unite the Right rally, the city of Savannah renamed and rededicated the structure in 2018. The monument is one of the oldest and largest Confederate monuments in Georgia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Washington Gordon Monument</span> Public monument in Georgia, USA

The William Washington Gordon Monument is a public monument in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in Wright Square, the monument honors politician and businessman William Washington Gordon and was designed by Henry Van Brunt and Frank M. Howe. It was completed in 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poetter Hall</span> Building in Georgia, United States

Poetter Hall is an academic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Designed by William G. Preston and completed in 1893, the building originally served as a National Guard Armory and was called the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory. In 1979, the building underwent an extensive renovation and became the first academic building for the Savannah College of Art and Design.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucas Theatre</span> Building in Georgia, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stewart–Screven Monument</span>

The Stewart–Screven Monument is a monument in Midway, Georgia, United States. Erected in 1915, the monument honors Daniel Stewart and James Screven, two generals from the American Revolutionary War. The monument is located in a cemetery in the Midway Historic District.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madison Square (Savannah, Georgia)</span> Public square in Savannah, Georgia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herb House</span> Building in Savannah, Georgia, US

The Herb House is a historic building located in downtown Savannah, Georgia, United States. Some sources claim it to be built in the 18th century, which would have made it the oldest extant building in the state of Georgia; however, its construction in local handmade brick puts this in doubt. Other sources give a construction year of 1853, which is the first year it appears on a map. The building is now part of the restaurant Pirates' House, the buildings for which both pre- (1794) and post-date (1871) it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Market (Savannah, Georgia)</span> Shopping mall in Georgia, United States

City Market is a historic market complex in the Historic District of Savannah, Georgia. Originally centered on the site of today's Ellis Square from 1733, today it stretches west from Ellis Square to Franklin Square. Established in the 1700s with a wooden building, locals gathered here for their groceries and services. This building burned in 1820 and was replaced the following year with a single-storey structure that wrapped around the square. A brick building, the work of architects Augustus Schwaab and Martin Phillip Muller, was erected in 1876. They had submitted plans to the city six years earlier. The cost of the building's construction "vastly exceeded expectations" after excavations revealed weakened arches in the basement floor that required them to be replaced. It was an ornate structure with arches in the Romanesque style and large circular windows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City Exchange (Savannah, Georgia)</span> Former building in Savannah, Georgia, U.S.

City Exchange was a building that stood on Bay Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States, between 1799 and 1904. It replaced a previous structure which was destroyed by fire in 1796. The former seat of Savannah's city government, the building's location is now occupied by Savannah City Hall.

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The Wetter House was a residence in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Originally built in 1822, it was expanded and remodeled in 1857 for Augustus Wetter, a Savannah architect and businessman. Its demolition in 1950 was an impetus for the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abercorn Street</span> Prominent street in Savannah, Georgia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lewis Kayton House</span> Historic Inn in South Carolina, U.S.

The Lewis Kayton House, also known as the Mansion on Forsyth Park, is a historic five-star hotel at 700 Drayton Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is significant as it was once the home of Lewis Kayton, an early pioneer to Savannah in the 19th century. The hotel occupies the Drayton block of Forsyth Park and is part of the Savannah Historic District. The hotel is now owned by hotel developer Richard C. Kessler, chairman and CEO of The Kessler Enterprise, Inc.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Gaston Tomb</span> Tomb located in Savannah, Georgia

The Gaston Tomb is a tomb in Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, Georgia. It was built in memory of William Gaston, a prominent merchant in Savannah who died in 1837. The tomb was built seven years later, initially in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. It was moved to Bonaventure in 1873.

References

  1. Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society, Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson, Georgia Historical Society (2001), p. 118 ISBN   9780738506883
  2. Kelley 2000, p. 100.
  3. Triplett 2006, p. 100.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Georgia Historical Society 2014.
  5. Harden 1913, p. 709.
  6. Dick & Johnson 2001, p. 119.
  7. 1 2 Kelley 2000, p. 102.
  8. Triplett 2006, p. 101.
  9. Kelley 2000, p. 101.

Bibliography