Savannah is Georgia’s first city, an early American settlement with the enchanting Savannah Historic District at its center. In 1733, British Army General James E. Oglethorpe, founder of the British Colony of Georgia, laid out the urban town plan in a grid pattern consisting of numerous public squares divided by wide streets. Oglethorpe was influenced by military camp design and the writings of Vitruvius. Masterful yet collaborative, rigorous yet flexible, his logical plan makes Savannah one of the most organized and beautifully designed cities in the United States.
Oglethorpe's plan received both praise and scrutiny from scholars. The book The Oglethorpe Plan by Thomas D. Wilson describes its innovative incorporation of radical agrarian and egalitarian ideals into an orderly yet elegantly nuanced urban and regional plan. This plan stands as a significant masterwork in the utopian tradition but was eventually expanded beyond its original boundaries and somewhat reshaped into a more mid-19th-century configuration. Thereafter, the plan was no longer the product of a single master designer but was further developed and refined by surveyors, engineers, and political leaders as an evolving “working plan.” It gained a complex character, adapting to changing ideals over the course of a century and a half. With its abundance of open spaces, Savannah stands in stark contrast to the congested, European-style medieval street plans of the earliest colonies. Situated on very flat land, within a clear-cut pine barren, and at an elevation 30 feet above the Savannah River, historic Savannah’s neatly organized urban grid originally contained four wards with 22 (originally 24) square-centered neighborhood units.
This National Historic District is bounded by the Savannah River, E. Broad Street, Forsyth Park, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It is a wonderland of charming cobblestone streets and lush, manicured gardens shaded by lofty oak trees adorned with silvery strands of Spanish moss. Since Savannah was chosen as an experimental location emphasizing architectural creativity, exotic revival-style homes are scattered throughout and have been attracting history enthusiasts for decades. Classical designs, ranging from Neoclassical, Greek Revival, Italianate, Gothic, Colonial, Beaux-Arts, Victorian, Queen Anne, and Craftsman styles, are commonly seen. A variety of residential homes and government buildings can be found here. Notable structures include the Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low, the Davenport House, the Sorrel-Weed House, the Owens-Thomas House, the Green-Meldrim House, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, Christ Church, and the United States Custom House.
The Thomas Square Streetcar District is particularly noteworthy, containing approximately 1,100 historic structures, which earns it recognition as one of the most significant historic neighborhoods. Future preservation efforts for Savannah include zoning classifications, demolition protections, and legal frameworks to ensure its enduring historical and architectural legacy.
