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From gorgeous Savannah, an eclectic architectural tour in 40 photos

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A photo essay from Georgia’s oldest and most enchanting city

By Josh Green
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A photo essay from Savannah, Georgia.
The Savannah Cotton Exchange.
Photos: Josh Green, Curbed Atlanta

Amid the bustle and constant physical changes of Atlanta, it’s easy to lose touch with the world beyond the outermost suburban reaches — and to forget that, just three hours away, lies an otherworldly architectural treasure trove.

Come 2033, Savannah will be 300 years old, making it Georgia’s oldest city and still one of North America’s finest examples of pedestrian-friendly town planning. It boasts the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States. And for better or worse, it bears very little in common with its rambunctious, younger, bigger Peach State sibling.

For this installment of Visual Journeys, we road-tripped to the subtropical port city of horse-drawn carriages and gorgeous squares, tossed back a few to-go cups (when in Rome), slapped on the wide-angle lens, and set out to capture eclectic glimpses of Savannah’s built environment.

Clearly, Savannahians have something special going on here.

The B Historic Hotel in Savannah.
The tour begins at a relative newcomer on Savannah’s lodging scene, the B Historic Hotel at 320 Montgomery St., which completed a multi-million dollar renovation last month.
The five-story brick building houses 101 rooms. A grand opening is planned in October.
Fans of Atlanta’s burgeoning stock of modern architecture would probably appreciate the boutique hotel’s swank interiors, which were drastically updated from those of the traditional Country Inn Suites the property used to be.
Moving on, we find the circa-1887 Savannah Cotton Exchange, at center, one of the city’s best surviving examples of the Romantic Revival era.
It’s all in the details.
The private Oglethorpe Club at the cusp of Forsyth Park, Savannah’s centerpiece greenspace.
The immaculate interior of the Gryphon Tea Room, a study in mahogany and stained glass, where lunch checks arrive tucked in old novels.
The Lucas Theatre turned 95 years old on Friday.
Savannah’s third tallest building, 2 East Bryan St.
A rare retail vacancy on the western fringes of River Street.
A range of residential styles on Oglethorpe Street.
At the far west end of River Street, this decommissioned former power plant is set for a $250-million mixed-use makeover called Plant Riverside — the most expensive development in Savannah history. Construction was slated to begin this past summer, and it looks as though some interior work may have started. Developer Richard Kessler recently built the Bohemian Hotel, also on River Street. Plans call for 20,000 square feet of retail, 400 hotel rooms, a live-music venue, and special features such as beams of light that would shoot from smokestacks and pipe organ music to be pumped into the street.
The majestic live oaks Savannah is famous for.
First opened in 1818, and later remodeled in 1940s Art Deco style, the Historic Savannah Theatre is among the oldest continually operated show houses in the country.
The ancient facades of River Street.
Factor’s Walk — a unique collection of offices, restaurants, and lodging — hugs a bluff that drops to River Street. These were the stomping grounds of brokers/factors during Savannah’s cotton heyday.
An alley in Savannah.
Where even the alleyways are interesting.
Sunset over Savannah, fifth floor of B Historic.

B Historic

320 Montgomery St, Savannah, GA 31401, USA

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