SAVANNAH SQUARES

And A Round

Perhaps the most visited square in Savannah is Monterey. Folks don't always come to enjoy the beauty - they come to see the Mercer House, site of a murder made famous in both book and movie form: "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil." Do you remember the story? Now do you remember that there were 4 trials - all ending in overturned or innocent verdicts. The OJ of his day, that was James Arthur Williams. Pity he was remembered for the gruesome details and not for the over 50 homes and mansions that he also restored in Savannah.

A Church, yes? Well, call it Temple Mickvie Israel and you'd have it right. This is the only synagogue in the US designed in the Gothic Revival style and the temple houses the third oldest practicing Jewish congregation in the US. It anchors the other end of Monterey Square.

In 1730 British colonist James Oglethorpe began working on what would be one of the most liveable city plans anywhere. Gridded neighborhoods designed around a common square became the blueprint for what is now Savannah's Historic District.  Oglethorpe lived to see 6 of the squares completed. Today 22 remain as "Progress" claimed two of them.  Most photographed is Forsyth Park, above.

Though many individuals like Mr. Williams have contributed over the years to the restoration of Savannah's historic core, few entities have done as much as SCAD in recent years. Founded as a private college in 1978, Savannah College Of Art And Design created an innovative program that has brought over 67 buildings back to life as architectural treasures. In addition to charging tuition the school also sells bonds (to many of the student's parents). The bonds have offered a generous payback to bondholders while at the same time allowing the college to purchase core structures. Then SCAD focuses academically on the restoration of those buildings. All the school's disciplines are brought to bear in examining each structure and students are involved in all facets of the rehabilitation. Revenue for the bondholders comes from the new tenants that move into these restored gems.

Not all historic houses are in the original District. As the town outgrew its grid of squares and neighborhood, housing spread west and so in many neighborhoods there is the touch of Victorian and other styles.

This is the "Round" mentioned in the subtitle. I had thought that working roundhouses were a thing of the past. Apparently no one told the Roundhouse Railroad Museum in Savannah. They have bragging rights to the "oldest and largest existing nineteenth-century railroad complex in the nation."