City Market/ Ellis Square

Of Savannah’s four original squares one, Ellis square, did not remain a square for very long. In 1763 the first of three markets was built over Ellis square, it burnt down in the fire of 1796. The second market shared a similar fate, it burnt down in the fire of 1820. In 1822 the third and final iteration of this market was built, it was appropriately named City Market. The City market building was a three part open air Italianate brick structure. This market was a vibrant part of savannah’s social fabric, not only did local farmers and butchers sell their wares here, but the sight also held social functions, including an annual ball. During the Civil war the market was used as a dressing station for wounded confederate soldiers and the market bell was used to alert the city to the outcome of major events.



Despite the long standing role City Market played in Savannah’s socio-economic composition, doubts over its future arose in the late1940’s. [1]The markets rising operation costs and decreased profits[2], coupled with the growing desire for more down town parking, spelled doom for the historic site. For two years a divided city debated the markets fate, Downtown business owners wanted it torn down so they could have more parking, preservationist wanted to see the site preserved as for history. The debate ended in 1953 the preservationist lost. In 1954 City Market was torn down and shortly thereafter replaced by a parking garage. Many considered the parking garage to be a huge eyesore marring the face of downtown savannah. Plans for its destruction were being drafted even before the expiration of its 50 year lease. In 2002 it was torn down and replaced with an underground parking facility and the city began the process of “reclaiming” Ellis Square.[3] The city considered numerous idea for how best to use the space, including the idea of creating another market. Ultimately the city chose to fill the void with an updated version of the Savannah’s traditional garden square.



Plan of the newly "reclaimed" Ellis Square

Prior to its demolition City Market hosted a final ball. The images of this historic sites last hurrah were so moving they found their way to the cover of the Time’s and other national publications, the attention national media paid to a “local” loss verified our nation’s growing interest in preserving sites of historic and cultural significance. The loss of City Market was a huge blow for preservation minded Savannahians. It served as the catalysts for a group of seven preservation minded to band together in 1955 and form the Historic Savannah Foundation. [4] [5] The mission of the Historic Savannah Foundation is to preserve historic structures with in Savannah to ensure that heritage losses like City Market don’t reoccur. The achievements of the Historic Savannah Foundation include convincing the state legislature to pass an amendment to the Georgia constitution authorizing historic zoning in Savannah in 1968 and the establishment of the Historic Review Board in 1973[6] and the establishment of compatibility criteria, set forth in the Historic District Ordinance, for new and existing structures in the historic district which regulates aspect of new development such as building height.



Savannah is a modern city is a city conflicted over progressing towards the future and preserving the past. It has suffered great historic losses in the name of progress and achieved great feats in the name of preservation. Savannah’s preservation movement is a testament to the power of grassroots movements, the ability of small impassioned groups of individuals to come together and shape the development of their community’s future. The preservation movement reminds us that while progress itself is not a bad thing it shouldn’t come at the expense of our history. Through conservation and adaptive reuse we can pave the way towards the creation of Cities whose worth is measured not only by their ability to adapt to the further, but also by the richness of their architectural heritage.

[1] “City Market” file. Vertical Stacks, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah. Article titled “one square suffers round peg”
[2] “City Market ” file. Vertical Stacks, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah. One 1950 newspaper clipping: expressed surprise and relief when the market announced that it had managed to stay in budget for the year, the clipping expressed the widely held hope that the market could be saved.
[3] “Ellis Square” file. Vertical Stacks, Georgia Historical Society, Savannah.
[4]The New Georgia Encyclopedia, “History of Historic Preservation”; available from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-718; Internet accessed 1 april 2010.
[5] Morgan Lee Harrison. Paths to Involvement: Women and the Early Preservation
Movement in Savannah.
[6]The New Georgia Encyclopedia, “The Historic Savannah Foundation”; available from http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1129; Internet accessed 1 april 2010.