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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2024
CONTACT:
Office of Communications
City Council Meetings to be Temporarily Held at Board of Education’s Whitney Administrative Complex
SAVANNAH – Due to an ongoing restoration project in City Hall, and a new phase of restoration focused on Council Chambers, all City Council meetings will relocate to the Board of Education’s Whitney Administrative Complex beginning Thursday, Sept. 12.
Council Meetings will proceed as normal and be open to the general public and the media in the temporary location until restoration of Council Chambers is concluded. The City estimates the restoration process will be concluded in February of 2025.
All public City Council meetings will also be streamed live from the Whitney Administrative Complex on the City’s social media accounts and on SGTV, Comcast Channel 8.
Planning and preparations for the restoration of City Hall began in 2016 when the City received National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Cynthia Woods Mitchell Fund grant in partnership with the Historic Savannah Foundation in the amount of $22,500. In 2019, the City received $5 million from SPLOST VII to fund the interior restorations.
In 2022, a third floor rehabilitation was completed and won a Historic Savannah Foundation Preservation Award. Last year, major restoration of the interior began planning and construction phases. Currently, the Archives and History Room on the first floor and Council Chambers on the second floor are undergoing complete restorations.
The interior of City Hall has not received any major restoration or preservation work in the public spaces since its opening in 1906. The current restoration will ensure the continued use of the building for future generations and prolong the life of a significant historical features with a focus on preserving the original elements like mosaic tiles, marble, woodwork, plasterwork, brass lighting and hardware, and parquetry floors.
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About City Hall
Savannah’s City Hall is one of the most recognizable and historically significant buildings in the city. It is located at the intersection of Bay and Bull streets in the heart of Savannah’s National Historic Landmark District and is a contributing building. It was documented by the National Park Service for the Historic American Buildings Survey in 1981. Designed by architect Hyman W. Witcover and built by Savannah Contracting Company between 1904 and 1906, City Hall is of significant historic value to the community as the first building constructed by Savannah residents to serve as the exclusive seat of their municipal government. The six-story, granite and limestone Renaissance Revival structure has served Savannah’s citizens for over 115 years as the center of municipal activity housing the Mayor’s Office, Council Chambers, City Manager’s Office and administrative offices for various City departments.
[Council Chamber when City Hall opened (1906). Photo courtesy Municipal Archives]
[City Hall under construction (1905). Photo courtesy Municipal Archives]