Savannah College of Art and Design

Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, Georgia

Savannah College of Art and Design report to the Getty (PDF) 3.9MB

The campus of Savannah College of Art and Design, founded in 1978, is indistinguishable from the urban historic fabric of the city. College buildings represent a diversity of historic styles and origins in four distinct historic districts: the Savannah National Historic Landmark District; the Central of Georgia Shops and Terminal Facilities Landmark District; the Savannah Victorian District; and the Thomas Square Trolley Historic District. Funding will contribute both to the preparation of specialized condition reports for buildings with the most urgent preservation needs and to integrate the preparation of these reports into the college's teaching curriculum.

Savannah College of Art and Design received a Getty grant in 2002 for $150,000 to support campus heritage planning.

Report Summary

Purpose: The Savannah College of Art and Design developed the “Savannah Campus Heritage Preservation Planning Project,” which had several goals. It proposed a plan to examine the long-term preservation of core historic buildings, to situate historically the core buildings of the campus and examine their interrelationships (on cultural, functional, and environmental levels), to engage members of the college community in the best practices of historic preservation, and to create a model for preservation planning concerning complex campuses and cultural sites that are integrated in historic urban settings.

Historic Designations: Savannah Historic District; Thomas Square Streetcar Historic District; Savannah Victorian Historic District; Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities (campus buildings contained therein, National Register of Historic Places)

Planning Process: Three approaches were pursued by the project team. First, it updated an existing campus preservation survey of historic resources and established a comprehensive and accessible inventory. Second, it prepared National Register nominations for particularly relevant campus sites. Third, it completed specialized condition reports that identified preservation needs for historically significant core buildings.

Outcomes—Products: Each component described in the planning process and methodology integrated educational experiences for students, faculty, and other professionals. These activities included internships, specific coursework, lectures, workshops, architectural critiques, and related research projects relevant to the project. Approximately 90 graduate and undergraduate students benefitted from being involved in these activities.

More in-depth knowledge about specific sites resulted from the data collection phase, especially regarding particular building histories and/or their architects. This data, based on extensive archival research along with structural analysis, resulted in the book, The Savannah College of Art and Design: Restoration of an Architectural Heritage (Arcadia, 2004). An exhibition concerning student research on several project buildings was installed on campus. National Register nomination forms for 14 sites were also completed.

Outcomes—Strategies and Goals for the Future: It is expected that the results of these building studies and analyses will help to plan future preservation efforts for structures within several National Register historic districts. It is also expected that the campus, with this new research and set of recommendations, will continue to be a living laboratory for historic preservation. The results from this project will also form an important resource for future discussions about preservation master planning and campus master planning.