Project Overview
The Springfield Terrace (Pearl Lee Smith) School, located at 707 Hastings Street in Savannah, Georgia, was built in 1926 to educate black students who were excluded from many of the resources available in Chatham County’s public education system at the time. The building reflects both the struggles and successes of providing education to African American youth in the segregated South.
In 2022, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in Education, Ethnic Heritage-Black, and Architecture. In 2023, the City of Savannah received a National Park Service (NPS) Historic Preservation Fund African American Civil Rights grant to support the rehabilitation project’s planning phase, following the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Restoration.
This rehabilitation project will physically restore the historic building and return it to an active community asset.
Springfield Terrace School Rehabilitation Project is being supported in part by an African American Civil Rights grant from the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of Interior.
Project Purpose
The goal is to preserve and rehabilitate this historic structure while preparing it for meaningful community use. A public engagement process, including community meetings and a city-wide public survey, helped shape a programming plan for flexible spaces that can support community and City needs, including:
- Community meetings and gatherings
- Permanent and rotating local history and art exhibits
- Cultural and historical programming
- Opportunities for local artists and culture keeper residency studio spaces
- City office space
Project Scope
This project is focused on historic preservation. While the entire site is owned by the City of Savannah, the project scope includes:
- The historic building
- A new restroom building
- Parking improvements
- Landscaping around the building
Status & What's Coming Up
Following a building conditions assessment, design began at the end of September 2025 and is expected to continue through the summer of 2026.
Key dates & milestones (subject to change):
- Anticipated completion of design: Summer 2026
- NPS review of drawings: Fall 2026
- Construction schedule: Will be developed near the end of design
