Washington Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the northernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on

Houston Street Houston Street ( ) is a major east–west thoroughfare in Lower Manhattan in New York City, New York. It runs the full width of the island of Manhattan, from FDR Drive along the East River in the east to the West Side Highway along the Hudson ...

and East St. Julian Street. It is east of Warren Square and north of Greene Square in the northeastern corner of the city's grid of squares, in Savannah's Old Fort neighborhood. The oldest building original to the square is 510 East St. Julian Street, which dates to 1797. Built in 1790, Washington Square was named in 1791 for

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, the first

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, who visited Savannah that year.SavannahBest.com's ‘’Squares of Savannah’‘
accessed June 16, 2007 It was one of only two squares named to honor a then-living person, Troup Square being the other. Washington Square had been the site of the Trustees' Garden.''Savannah Scene''
magazine, May–June 2007, pp 10–11, accessed June 16, 2007. Named for the trustees of General

James Oglethorpe Lieutenant-General James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British Army officer, Tory politician and colonial administrator best known for founding the Province of Georgia in British North America. As a social refo ...

's colony, the garden was the testing ground for a variety of experimental crops – including

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of 19 species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 subordinat ...

(for silkworms),

hemp Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a plant in the botanical class of ''Cannabis sativa'' cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use. It can be used to make a wide range of products. Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest ...

, and

indigo InterGlobe Aviation Limited (d/b/a IndiGo), is an India, Indian airline headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. It is the largest List of airlines of India, airline in India by passengers carried and fleet size, with a 64.1% domestic market ...

– viewed as potential

cash crop A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsi ...

s. Most of these experiments proved unsuccessful. The square was once the site of massive New Year's Eve

bonfire A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve. Etymology The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...

s; these were discontinued in the 1950s.City of Savannah's ''Savannah's Squares'' page
accessed June 13, 2007. In 1964 Savannah landscape architect

Clermont Huger Lee Clermont Huger Lee (March 4, 1914 – June 14, 2006) was a landscape architect from Savannah, Georgia, most known for her work designing gardens and parks for historical landmarks in the state. Specifically, Lee is known for her designs such as th ...

and Mills B. Lane planned and initiated a project to close the fire lane, add

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

bluestone pavers, initiate the use of different paving materials, install water

cisterns A cistern (; , ; ) is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. To prevent leakage, the interior of the cistern is often lined with hydraulic plaster. Cisterns are disti ...

, and lastly install new walks, benches, lighting, and plantings. At 541–545 East Congress Street are three Joseph Burke Properties, built in 1860. They were restored in 1955 by preservationist Jim Williams (later the central character in

John Berendt John Berendt (born December 5, 1939) is an American author, known for writing the best-selling non-fiction book '' Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'', which was a finalist for the 1995 Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction, and '' The Ci ...

's 1994 book ''

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil ''Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil'' is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published on January 10, 1994, and follows the story of Jim Williams, an antiques dealer on trial for the killing of Danny Hansf ...

''), his first project of over fifty he undertook before his death in 1990

Dedication

Constituent buildings

Each building below is in one of the eight blocks around the square composed of four residential "tything" blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks, now known as the

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, commercia ...

. They are listed with construction years where known. ;Northwestern tything/residential block *Mary Horrigan Property, 520–522 East Bryan Street (1899) *Joseph Wilkinson House, 11 Houston Street (1807) *Mary Gildea House, 514 East Bryan Street (1899) *Margaret Prindible Property, 508–512 East Bryan Street (1899) *William Williams House, 16 Price Street (1809) *D.D. Williams House, 12 Price Street (1816) *14 Price Street (1816) ;Northwestern civic/trust block *Simon Mirault House, 21 Houston Street (1852) – moved from Troup Ward *Joachim Hartstene House, 23 Houston Street (c. 1803) – rebuilt with original members in 1964 *516 East St. Julian Street (1849) *Daniel Philbrick House, 512–514 East St. Julian Street (1849) *510 East St. Julian Street (1797) – oldest building original to the square *Anne Pitman House, 504 East St. Julian Street (1842) ;Southwestern civic/trust block *International Seaman's House, 25 Houston Street (1965) * Hampton Lillibridge House, 507 East St. Julian Street (1796–1799) – moved from 310 East Bryan Street *503 East St. Julian Street *William Flood House, 501 East St. Julian Street (1901) ;Southwestern tything/residential block *Isabella Brower House, 519 East Congress Street (1837–1839) *Laurence Dunn Property (I), 31–33 Houston Street (1875) *Laurence Dunn Property (II), 35–37 Houston Street (1872) *William Gaston House, 511 East Congress Street (1839) – remodeled in 1869 *Isabella Mallery House, 513 East Congress Street (1841) *William Wescott House, 36 Price Street (1875) *38 Price Street (c. 1840) ;Northeastern tything/residential block *601 East Bay Street (1860)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 15 – now The Brice hotel ;Northeastern civic/trust block *Morty Dorgan Property (I), 20 Houston Street (1852–1853) *Morty Dorgan Property (II), 542 East St. Julian Street (1853) – remodeled in 1888–1898 ;Southeastern civic/trust block *Catherine McCarthy Property, 26–30 Houston Street (1887) *545–547 East St. Julian Street (1887) *Mary Ferguson House, 549 East St. Julian Street (1905) *31 East Broad Street (1860) *33–35 East Broad Street (1860) ;Southeastern tything/residential block *537–539 East Congress Street (1915) *Joseph Burke Properties, 541–545 East Congress Street (1860) *Ann Pinder House, 547 East Congress Street (1831–1835)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 16 *James McMahon House, 37–39 East Broad Street (1874) *Charles Wood Row House, 41–47 East Broad Street (1899) The "sister house" of the Hampton Lillibridge House, which was original the square, was built around the same time. It was demolished in 1962.

Gallery

File:D.D. Williams House.jpg, D.D. Williams House, 12 Price Street File:William Williams House.jpg, William Williams House, 16 Price Street File:36 Price Street.jpg, William Wescott House, 36 Price Street File:38 Price Street, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia.jpg, 38 Price Street in its time as Tommie's Place deli File:42 Price Street, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia.jpg, Stephen Timmons Cottage, 40 Price Street (now demolished) File:Margaret Prindible Property.jpg, Margaret Prindible Property, 508–512 East Bryan Street File:Mary Gildea House.jpg, Mary Gildea House, 514 East Bryan Street File:520-522 East Bryan Street.jpg, Mary Horrigan Property, 520–522 East Bryan Street File:Anne Pitman House.jpg, Anne Pitman House, 504 East St. Julian Street File:William Flood House.jpg, William Flood House, 501 East St. Julian Street File:Hampton Lillibridge House, No. 1, 507 East Julian Street (moved from 310 East Bryan Street), Savannah, Chatham County, GA.jpg, Hampton Lillibridge House, 507 East St. Julian Street File:Morty Dorgan House.jpg, Morty Dorgan Property (1), 542 East St. Julian Street File:20 Houston Street.jpg, Morty Dorgan Property (2), 20 Houston Street File:Mary Ferguson House.jpg, Mary Ferguson House, 549 East St. Julian Street File:Joseph Wilkinson House.jpg, Joseph Wilkinson House, 11 Houston Street File:Simon Mirault House.jpg, Simon Mirault House, 21 Houston Street File:Joachim Hartstene House.jpg, Joachim Hartstene House, 23 Houston Street File:Catherine McCarthy Property.jpg, Catherine McCarthy Property, 26–30 Houston Street File:Laurence Dunn House.jpg, Laurence Dunn Property (1), 31–33 Houston Street File:35-37 Houston Street.jpg, Laurence Dunn Property (2), 35–37 Houston Street File:519 East Congress Street.jpg, Isabella Brower House, 519 East Congress Street File:31 East Broad Street.jpg, 31 East Broad Street File:37-39 East Broad Street.jpg, James McMahon House, 37–39 East Broad Street File:41-47 East Broad Street.jpg, Charles Wood Row House, 41–47 East Broad Street File:511 East Congress Street.jpg, William Gaston House, 511 East Congress Street File:513 East Congress Street.jpg, Isabella Mallery House, 513 East Congress Street File:541-545 East Congress Street.jpg, Joseph Burke Properties, 543–545 East Congress Street File:547 East Congress Street.jpg, Ann Pinder House, 547 East Congress Street

References

{{Squares of Savannah, Georgia Washington Square (Savannah, Georgia) 1790 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)