Historic Savannah Foundation
Historical society in Georgia, USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) is a preservation organization founded in 1955 and based in Savannah, Georgia, United States.[3]
• Katharine Judkins Clark
• Elinor Adler Dillard
• Lucy Barrow McIntire
• Dorothy Ripley Roebling
• Nola McEvoy Roos
• Jane Adair Wright
| |
 The HSF office, 321 East York Street (built 1818) | |
| Abbreviation | HSF |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founders | • Anna Colquitt Hunter • Katharine Judkins Clark • Elinor Adler Dillard • Lucy Barrow McIntire • Dorothy Ripley Roebling • Nola McEvoy Roos • Jane Adair Wright |
| Type | Non-profit |
| Headquarters | 321 East York Street[1] |
| Location |
|
Region served | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Services | Preservation |
Key people | • Susan Adler (CEO and President)[2] • Ryan Arvay (Director of Preservation and Historic Properties)[2] |
| Website | https://www.myhsf.org/ |
In 1950, the four-story Wetter House on East Oglethorpe was demolished.[4][5] 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.[6] The following year, a funeral home was set to purchase the Isaiah Davenport House in Columbia Square and tear it down for a parking lot.[5] This sparked a movement to start a preservation process in the city.[5]
"What began as an effort to save one house quickly turned into an organized movement that went on to save an entire city." – Historic Savannah Foundation[5]
Local journalist, artist and activist Anna Colquitt Hunter (1892–1985)[7] formed a group with six of her friends to block the demolition of the house and formed the Historic Savannah Foundation.[8] The group managed to raise the $22,500 needed to purchase the property themselves.[5]
The office of the foundation is in the southwest tything of the Columbia Square, at the Abraham Sheftall House, 321 East York Street.[1] It had formerly been at the Isaiah Davenport House at 324 East State Street.[9]
The Foundation bestows its highest honor, the Davenport Award, on select individuals.[10]
In 1977, the foundation published Historic Savannah: A Survey of Significant Buildings in the Historic and Victorian Districts of Savannah, Georgia.
Founders
- Anna Colquitt Hunter (1892–1985)
- Katharine "Kass"[10] Judkins Clark (1897–1993)[11]
- Elinor Adler Dillard (1903–1992)[11]
- Lucy Barrow McIntire (1886–1967)[11]
- Dorothy Ripley Roebling (1904–1977)[11]
- Nola McEvoy Roos (1895–1980)[11]
- Jane Adair Wright (1901–1991)[11]
Lee Adler, son of Elinor Adler Dillard, served as the Foundation's president for six terms.[12]
Plaques
A Historic Savannah Foundation plaque on the Reverend Charles B. King House, 11 West Gordon Street
