OurCoast.com :: Savannah City Guide

Courtesy of Best Read Guide

Columbia Square, laid according to Oglethorpe's plan in 1799, is named for the mythical female figure whose spirit is believed to look over the fortunes of our country. In paintings, she takes on an appearance similar to that of the Statue of Liberty in New York, or of the Goddess of Liberty who stands atop the Pulaski Monument (currently under restoration, the Goddess can be seen in the Savannah History Museum at the Visitor's Center).

The square is home to the Isaiah Davenport House, which is significant to Savannah's history for two reasons. First, the house, built by alderman and contractor Davenport in 1821, it is one of the city's finest examples of Federalist architecture. This style is marked by its use of symmetry; the house has a central front hall, dual sweeping staircases to the street, the fanlight above the front door, and a modest, stolid rectangular shape. Its architectural significance leads to its second and greater role in Savannah history.

After being neglected for many years, having declined into status as a tenement, the home was scheduled for demolition to make way for a parking lot for the funeral parlor across the street. The nascent Historic Savannah Foundation, guided by Anna Hunter, quickly raised funds to purchase the house; the deed was transferred just before the house was to fall. In the next four years, the foundation completely renovated the house and assumed it as its headquarters. The success of the foundation in saving and refurbishing the home led to a renewal of interest in the historic downtown area, and over the years the foundation has been instrumental in saving hundreds of buildings that otherwise would have made way for parking lots or architecturally unimportant edifices.

Columbia Square also has a fountain from the old Wormsloe Plantation. Wormsloe was one of the first plantations in Georgia. Its founder, Noble Jones, came from England with Oglethorpe to settle the colony, and on the site he proposed to cultivate silkworms with which to give Savannah material to trade with England. The fountain was presented to the city by Mr. and Mrs. Wainwright Roebling, descendants of Jones. Opposite the fountain stands the Kehoe House. Today it is one of Savannah�s finest historic inns, originally constructed by ironworks magnate Ivan Kehoe for his family home. Of particular note on the Queen Anne structure are the balustrades and railings along the verandas; Kehoe believed that anything that could be made of wood could be made just as well with iron from his foundry.

Columbia Square is located on Habersham Street between President and Congress Streets.