Historic Assessment for Three Possible Sites for the Proposed Federal Building and Parking Structure

The purpose of this report is to assess the effect that the proposed Federal building and parking structure will have on the Savannah Historic District, and offer recommendations to mitigate the effect, should an adverse effect be identified. The entire Central Business District (CBD), of which the three proposed sites are inclusive, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as the Savannah Historic District. "The district is bounded on the north by the south bank of the Savannah River, on the east by East Broad Street, on the south by Gwinnett Street, and on the west by West Broad Street. "The present historic district encompasses approximately two square miles and contains about 1,100 noteworthy buildings. Architectural styles represented are Georgian, Federal, English Regency, Greek Revival, Italian Villa, Gothic Revival, and several examples of row houses. Building materials most commonly used were wood, gray brick, and stucco on brick. Both homes and commercial buildings representative of these styles exist within the historic area, and all of the original public squares survive. Good examples of public structures are the numerous churches, the United States Customhouse, the City Hall, and Telfair Academy. "Savannah is unusual because of its physical plan. James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia, was responsible for this innovation in urban design. Savannah was laid out in 1733 as a square of four wards, two of which fronted on the Savannah River. In the center of each ward was an open square. Each square was bounded on the north and south by a pair of trustee lots (A, B, and C, D) which were reserved for the construction of public or semi-public buildings. On all four corners of the ward were located tythings or blocks, often house lots, each measuring sixty by ninety feet. Streets separated the upper block (five lots) from the lower block (five lots) within each tything, and broad avenues divided the tythings within the wards on those sides not bounded by trust lots. By 1735 the number of wards had increased to six, and the city continued to develop according to Ogelthorpe's plan through the middle of the 19th century.