Savannah City Hall | |
---|---|
General information | |
Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
Address | 2 East Bay Street Savannah, Georgia, United States |
Coordinates | 32°4′52″N81°5′28″W / 32.08111°N 81.09111°W |
Groundbreaking | August 11, 1904 |
Completed | 1905 |
Opened | January 2, 1906 |
Cost | $250,000 |
Height | 139.99 feet (42.67 m) |
Technical details | |
Floor count | 6 |
Lifts/elevators | 1 |
Design and construction | |
Architect(s) | Hyman Witcover |
References | |
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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.
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]
The following is a timeline of the history of Savannah, Georgia, United States.
Hyman Wallace Witcover was an architect prominent in Savannah, Georgia. He worked as a draftsman for Alfred Eichberg and eventually partnered with him.
The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the city limits of Savannah, Georgia, prior to the American Civil War. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966, and is one of the largest districts of its kind in the United States. The district was made in recognition of the unique layout of the city, begun by James Oglethorpe at the city's founding in 1733 and propagated for over the first century of its growth.
First Baptist Church is a historic congregation in Savannah, Georgia, which was first established in 1800. Today, the congregation worships in a Greek-Revival church building on Bull Street, on the western side of Chippewa Square in the historic district of Savannah. This location has been the congregation's home since 1833 and the building is architecturally significant, being the oldest surviving church building in Savannah.
Colonial Park Cemetery is a historic cemetery located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. It became a city park in 1896, 43 years after burials in the cemetery ceased.
The Lutheran Church of the Ascension is a historic Lutheran church on Bull Street in Savannah, Georgia, located in the Savannah Historic District. The congregation was founded by Johann Martin Boltzius in 1741, with the current building constructed in 1843.
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.
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.
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.
The Lucas Theatre is a theater on Abercorn Street in Reynolds Square, Savannah, Georgia, United States. Built in 1921, the theater closed in 1976 and was slated to be demolished, but preservation efforts led to it reopening in 2000. It is managed by the Savannah College of Art and Design as the Lucas Theatre for the Arts and is the home venue for the Savannah Philharmonic Orchestra.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Factors Walk, also commonly spelled Factor's Walk or Factors' Walk, is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It runs for about 0.4 miles (0.64 km) along the upper levels of the southern frontages of the buildings of Factors Row, which is located between River Street to the north and Bay Street, around 40 feet (12 m) above on the bluff, to the south. Although this difference in elevation was advantageous in terms of defense, it did not provide easy movement between the working waterfront and the city above.
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.
Abercorn Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Drayton Street to the west and Lincoln Street to the east, it runs for about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) from East Bay Street in the north to Harry S. Truman Parkway in the south. It is concurrent with SR 204 from 37th Street south. The street is named for James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, a financial benefactor of the Georgia colony. Its northern section passes through the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
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.
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.