Columbia Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the second row of the city's five rows of squares, on
Habersham Street
Habersham Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Lincoln Street to the west and Price Street to the east, it runs for about from East Bay Street in the north to Stephenson Avenue in the south. The ...
and East President Street. It is south of Warren Square and between
Oglethorpe Square Oglethorpe may refer to:
People
*Oglethorpe (surname)
Places
* Bramham cum Oglethorpe, West Yorkshire, England
* Brookhaven/Oglethorpe (MARTA station), a passenger rail station located in the Brookhaven neighborhood of Atlanta, Georgia
* Mount Ogl ...
to the west and Greene Square to the east. The oldest building on the square is at 307 East President Street, today's 17 Hundred 90 Inn, which, as its name suggests, dates to the 18th century.
The square was laid out in 1799 and is named for Columbia, the poetic personification of the United States. In the center of the square is a fountain that formerly stood at
Wormsloe
The Wormsloe Historic Site, informally known as Wormsloe Plantation, is a state historic site near Savannah, Georgia, in the southeastern United States. The site consists of protecting part of what was once the Wormsloe Plantation, a large estate ...
, the estate of
Noble Jones
Noble Jones (1702 – November 2, 1775), an English-born carpenter, was one of the first settlers of the Province of Georgia and one of its leading officials. He was born in Herefordshire. As part of Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe's 42nd (old) Regi ...
, one of Georgia's first settlers. It was moved to Columbia Square in 1970 to honor Augusta and Wymberly DeRenne, descendants of Jones. It is sometimes called the "rustic fountain," as it is decorated with vines, leaves, flowers, and other woodland motifs.Tour Guide Manual for licensed tour guides in the City of Savannah, accessed June 16, 2007.City of Savannah's monuments page This page links directly to numerous short entries, many accompanied by photographs, discussing a variety of monuments, memorials, etc., in the squares and elsewhere. Accessed June 16, 2007.
Irish immigrant William Kehoe built a house on the eastern side of the square, at 130 Habersham Street, in 1885. After both his business and his family expanded, he built a larger home, completed in 1892, diagonally across the square at
123 Habersham Street
Kehoe House is a historic building in the American city of Savannah, Georgia. It is located in the northwestern civic block of Columbia Square and was built in 1892.History – KehoeHouse.com
The Timothy Bonticou Double House, at 418–420 East State Street, was moved one block south from 419–421 East Broughton Lane in 1972.
The office of
Historic Savannah Foundation
Historic Savannah Foundation is a preservation organization founded in 1955 and based in Savannah, Georgia, United States.
In 1950, the four-story Wetter House on East Oglethorpe was demolished.Oglethorpe Plan
The Oglethorpe Plan is an urban planning idea that was most notably used in Savannah, Georgia, one of the Thirteen Colonies, in the 18th century. The plan uses a distinctive street network with repeating squares of residential blocks, commercial ...
. They are listed with construction years where known.
;Northwestern tything/residential block
*
Isaiah Davenport House
The Isaiah Davenport House is a historic home in Savannah, Georgia, United States, built in 1820. It has been operated as a historic house museum by the Historic Savannah Foundation since 1963.
The house is located at 324 East State Street, in t ...
, 324 East State Street (1820) – built by Isaiah Davenport
;Northwestern trust/civic block
*
Kehoe House
Kehoe House is a historic building in the American city of Savannah, Georgia. It is located in the northwestern civic block of Columbia Square and was built in 1892."Haunted Hotels in Savannah" – Savannah.com is the oldest building on the square; eastern portion (1823) built for Steele White; western portion (1888) built for Anna Powers; now the home of the 17 Hundred 90 Inn
*Frederick Heineman House, 125–127 Habersham Street (1842)
;Southwestern tything/residential block
*Abraham Sheftall House, 321 East York Street (1818) – now the home of
Historic Savannah Foundation
Historic Savannah Foundation is a preservation organization founded in 1955 and based in Savannah, Georgia, United States.
In 1950, the four-story Wetter House on East Oglethorpe was demolished. – moved from Greene Ward; built by
Isaiah Davenport
Isaiah Davenport (November 3, 1784 – October 16, 1827) was an American master builder, prominent in the American city of Savannah, Georgia, during the early 19th century.
The first property Davenport constructed in Savannah was what is today k ...
; set back from the street, almost behind 418–420
*Timothy Bonticou Double House, 418–420 East State Street (1854–1861)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 28 – moved from 419–421 East Broughton Lane in 1972
*Henry W. Willink House,
422–424 East State Street
The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the pre-civil war city limits of Savannah, Georgia. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966,James Dillon (1977) , Nati ...
424 East President Street
The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the pre-civil war city limits of Savannah, Georgia. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966,James Dillon (1977) , Nati ...
(1810) – remodeled in 1899
;Southeastern trust/civic block
*Kehoe House (1), 130 Habersham Street (1885)''Historic Savannah: Survey of Significant Buildings in the Historic and Victorian Districts of Savannah, Georgia'' –