Historic Savannah Foundation is a preservation organization founded in 1955 and based in
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
, United States.
In 1950, the four-story
Wetter House
The Wetter House was a residence in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Originally built in 1822, it was expanded and remodeled in 1857 for Augustus Wetter, a Savannah architect and businessman. Its demolition in 1950 was an impetus for the formati ...
on East Oglethorpe was demolished.
[Our Story]
– mhysf.org This, combined with the razing of Savannah's popular
City Market in
Ellis Square, to be replaced by a parking garage, prompted a public outcry. The following year, a funeral home was set to purchase the
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 ...
in
Columbia Square and tear it down for a parking lot.
[ This sparked a movement to start a preservation process in the city.][Our Story]
– mhysf.org
Local journalist, artist and activist Anna Colquitt Hunter
Anna Habersham Colquitt Hunter (January 21, 1892 – January 28, 1985) was an American preservationist, one of the founders of Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955.
Early life
Hunter was a descendant of James Habersham (1712–1775), a pioneering ...
(1892–1985) formed a group with six of her friends to block the demolition of the house and formed the Historic Savannah Foundation. The group managed to raise the $22,500 needed to purchase the property themselves.[
The office of the foundation is in the southwest tything of the Columbia Square, at the Abraham Sheftall House, 321 East York Street.][ It had formerly been at the ]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 ...
at 324 East State Street.
The Foundation bestows its highest honor, the Davenport Award, on select individuals.
Founders
*Anna Colquitt Hunter (1892–1985)
*Katherine "Kass"[Founders]
– Davenport House Museum
*Elinor Adler Dillard (1903–1992)[
*Lucy Barrow McIntire (1886–1967)][
*Dorothy Ripley Roebling (1904–1977)][
*Nola McEvoy Roos (1895–1980)][
*Jane Adair Wright (1901–1991)][
Lee Adler, son of Elinor Adler Dillard, served as the Foundation's president for six terms.]
Plaques
File:Savannah Historic District 28.JPG, A Historic Savannah Foundation plaque on the Reverend Charles B. King House, 11 West Gordon Street
References
External links
Historic Savannah Foundation official website
HSF's blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Historic Savannah Foundation
1955 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)
Organizations established in 1995
Historic preservation organizations in the United States
Organizations based in Savannah, Georgia
Columbia Square (Savannah) buildings