Historic Savannah Foundation

Historic Savannah Foundation
Name	Historic Savannah Foundation
Formation	1955
Type	Nonprofit preservation organization
Headquarters	Savannah, Georgia
Region served	Chatham County, Georgia
Leader title	President

Historic Savannah Foundation is a nonprofit preservation organization founded in 1955 in Savannah, Georgia to protect and restore significant historic buildings, districts, and landscapes. It emerged in response to demolition threats in the Savannah Historic District and became a model for urban preservation movements in the United States, influencing practices in cities such as Charleston, South Carolina, New Orleans, Louisiana, and Boston, Massachusetts. The foundation has worked with municipal, state, and federal entities including the National Park Service, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

History

The organization was established after the threatened demolition of the Savannah Victorian Row, the W. W. Law House, and several 19th-century townhouses along Monterey Square (Savannah) and Calhoun Square, prompting civic leaders, architects, and preservationists to act. Founding figures included members of the Colonial Dames of America, local principals connected to Springfield Plantation (Georgia), and advocates inspired by the work of Harold L. Ickes-era preservation policy and the postwar rehabilitation of Charleston Historic District. Early campaigns focused on legal protections tied to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and listings on the National Register of Historic Places. Through the 1960s and 1970s the foundation partnered with the City of Savannah and the Chatham County planning offices to create zoning overlays and design guidelines modeled on precedents in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Annapolis, Maryland.

Mission and Preservation Activities

The foundation’s mission prioritizes the identification, acquisition, and rehabilitation of endangered properties within historic Savannah neighborhoods such as the Victorian District (Savannah) and the Savannah Victorian District Historic Property Survey Area. Activities include securing preservation easements, running advocacy campaigns before bodies like the Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission, and participating in nomination processes for the National Historic Landmark program. The organization also manages a revolving fund to purchase, stabilize, and resell historic properties with protective covenants, a strategy used by peers such as the Boston Preservation Alliance and the Chicago Historic Preservation Division.

Key Projects and Landmarks Saved

Notable successes include acquisition and restoration of properties on Jones Street (Savannah), rehabilitation of a row of residences on Broughton Street, and saving several squares such as Chippewa Square (Savannah) from redevelopment proposals associated with interstate-era plans similar to those that affected Oglethorpe Avenue (Savannah). The foundation has been instrumental in conserving landmark structures including the Owens-Thomas House, the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, and the Green-Meldrim House through collaborative efforts with the Telfair Museums and the Georgia Historical Society. It also played a role in protecting significant ecclesiastical architecture like St. John the Baptist Cathedral (Savannah, Georgia) and commercial edifices along the River Street (Savannah, Georgia) waterfront.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

Governance is conducted by a volunteer board of trustees comprising preservation professionals, attorneys, and business leaders drawn from entities such as the Savannah Chamber of Commerce, the Historic District Board of Review, and the University of Georgia alumni community. Executive leadership has included directors with backgrounds in architectural history from institutions like the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Staff divisions typically cover development, historic resources, legal counsel, and community outreach, mirroring operational models used by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and regional organizations like the Alabama Historical Commission.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources include private donations from patrons associated with the Mercer Williams House circle, grants from foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and program revenue from easement sales and rehabilitation consultation fees. The foundation has partnered with municipal agencies like the Savannah Development and Renewal Authority and state programs administered by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Historic Preservation Division. Corporate partnerships with firms headquartered in Savannah River Exchange corridors and tourism-related collaborations with the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce help underwrite capital campaigns and emergency stabilization projects.

Public Programs and Education

Public programming encompasses guided walking tours that highlight Savannah Historic District architecture, lecture series featuring scholars from Emory University and the College of Charleston, and workshops on tax incentives such as the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives program. Educational outreach targets schools in the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System through curriculum materials about the city’s James Oglethorpe-era plan and 18th- and 19th-century urbanism. The foundation also hosts fundraising events aligned with cultural institutions like the Savannah Music Festival and the Savannah Film Festival to promote heritage tourism and stewardship among residents and visitors.

Category:Historic preservation organizations in the United States Category:Non-profit organizations based in Savannah, Georgia