Savannah Waterworks

The Savannah Waterworks

Davis Allen

HIPR 203 Professor Keller 22 Jan 2013

Allen 2 Savannah Waterworks

The downtown historic district of Savannah is world-renowned for its concentration of historically significant buildings. Located just outside the downtown historic district, on the other side of the Interstate 16 flyover, is the Savannah Waterworks Building. The large, ornate building sits as a prominent landmark among its industrial surroundings. The 122-year-old waterworks, still owned by the Chatham County Public Works Department but currently being used as a storage facility, is slowly deteriorating. The historic pump house at the Savannah Waterworks is a significant building because of its construction, architectural style, its historic impact on Savannah, and its influence on the surrounding neighborhood.

Before British colonization of Savannah, the land where the Waterworks currently stands was a tidewater swamp. On this land in the first two decades of the 19th century, Joseph Stiles (an original Oglethorpe colonist) owned a rice plantation that was “five hundred acres, and . . . a narrow belt of low land three hundred yards wide.�1 Springfield canal, located adjacent to the current waterworks, was constructed for the rice plantation. 2 The city viewed the swampy lowlands as a threat to public health and, in 1820, a dry-culture method was used to drain them. 3 Thirty years later, the city of Savannah purchased the plantation to extend the city limits westward, and then divided the higher land into individual lots and sold them.4 In May of 1890, the city council recognized the need for the construction of a New Waterworks, and proposed that “at

1

Lee, F. D., and J. L. Agnew. Historical record of the city of Savannah. Savannah: J.H. Estill, 1869.

2

Ibid.

3

Fraser, Walter J. Savannah in the Old South. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2003.

4

Ibid

Allen 3 least two fifteen million gallon pumps of the latest approve pattern . . . be proceeded upon with the least possible delay.”5 The site at the corner of Gwinnett Street and Stiles Avenue was selected because it was “near the city and far enough removed from any contaminating influences.”6 In 1891, the city of Savannah purchased 31 acres on this site from the Savannah Brick Manufacturing Company for $17,050 and reserved 8 1/2 acres for the Waterworks.7 The building was designed by a Chicago Engineer named Thomas T. Johnson. Years before, he had designed a waterworks building in Memphis which was “said to be one of the best in the county”. He was brought to Savannah to improve the old Waterworks, but instead made a suggestion to “erect an entire new plant on the Springfield Plantation and build a brick conduit from the present works to the new plant.”8 The construction process was intricate and expensive, and the contracts for the new Waterworks machinery came from all over the United States. E. F. Joyce from Florida was awarded the bid for boring the wells, Holly Manufacturing Company from New York was awarded the bid for the pumping engines, Robertson & Weaver from Maryland was awarded the bid for the water conduit, Howard Harrison Iron Company from Alabama was awarded the bid for the pipes, and Rensselaer Manufacturing Company from New York was awarded the bid for the valves and water gates. 9 Local work from Savannah was also used on the construction of the building and the machinery. John Rourke & Son was awarded the bid for the boilers, Martin Cooley was awarded the bid for laying the pipes, John McGrath was awarded the bid for the drayage of pipes, and W.F. Chaplin was awarded for the bid for the waterworks sub5

Minutes of Council 1890-1891. Savannah, Georgia. 146.

6 Annual 7

Report of John J. McDonough. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1891.

Ibid.

8 Annual

Report of John Schwartz. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1890.

9 Annual

Report of John J. McDonough. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1891.

Allen 4 floor. 10 After all the initial machinery was completed, W. F. Chaplin, was “awarded the contract for the construction of the upper work of the buildings at the New Pumps Station” in February of 1863 for $27,166, which “includes all stone and terra cotta work.”11 Finally, the completion of the roof was awarded to W. H. Converse of Chattanooga for $7,823.12 The total cost of the waterworks system was $410,660.13 Taking inflation into account, this cost would have been greater than $10,000,000 in today’s economy. The cost of the building, combined with the awarding of bids to out-of-state contractors, demonstrates how dedicated the city of Savannah was to constructing the building and updating the city’s water utilities. The 1898 Sanborn maps show the layout of the waterworks building 5 years after its construction. 14 [see image 1] The new Waterworks was designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, which was very popular for large-scale public buildings in the 1880s and 1890s.15 In other parts of the country, Richardsonian Romanesque buildings were typically made of stone. In Georgia, they were “usually of brick, with a granite base and granite trim.”16 The Waterworks building is constructed of brick, mostly arranged in a five course American bond. The exterior walls contain terra cotta details as well as granite belt courses, parapets, and window sills. Several character defining elements of this building allow it to be easily identified in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, including large romanesque arches, arched windows, and decorative terra cotta. The sculptural 10 Annual

Report of John J. McDonough. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1891.

11

Minutes of Council 1891-1893. Savannah, Georgia. 412.

12

Ibid.

13

Spracher, Luciana. City of Savannah Water Works Pump House. Savannah, 2005.

14

“Savannah 1898.” Sanborn Map.

15

Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984), 302.

16

John Linley, The Georgia Catalog - Historic American Buildings Survey, (Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 1982), 200.

Allen 5 terra cotta details include geometric floral tiles, mascarons of men and lions, decorative tiles of cattails and foliage in the arches above windows, and acanthus leaves on the arcaded cornice and on the spandrels of the largest archway. [see image 2] One of the most prominent features of the building is a large, romanesque tower. [see image 3] The tower serves as an architectural focal point of the building since it is asymmetrically flanked by two shorter, gabled warehouse buildings. There are three different levels of arches in the tower, the top level consisting of large open arches and the lower levels consisting of arched windows. Another large cylindrical tower on the back side of the building functioned as the building’s smokestack. Although currently boarded up, the pump house also features a large circular window on one of the shorter warehouse buildings - a revival of Romanesque church architecture. [see image 4] The Romanesque-style pump house was built at the height of America’s Gilded Age, a time period that is frequently associated with outward displays of glitz and glamor while hiding corruption and poverty. The design and setting of the Waterworks falls perfectly into these generalizations of the Gilded age: the intricate terra cotta details on the exterior portrayed a sense of elegance and importance to the public eye, while the impoverished neighborhoods surrounding the waterworks, would be indicative of the widespread urban poverty of that time. The Gilded Age was also a time when America underwent a “transformation as industry and urbanism grew with awe-inspiring rapidity.”17 For this reason, there is no coincidence that the Richardsonian Romanesque style was used on so many large-scale industrial and public buildings during this time. Their substantial and robust designs would portray a city’s strength and prosperity. In Savannah, this style is seen in several large public buildings other than the waterworks. A few of

17

Morgan, H. Wayne. The gilded age, a reappraisal.. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1963.

Allen 6 these buildings include William Gibbons Preston’s 1886 Savannah Cotton Exchange, 1889 Chatham County Courthouse, and 1892 Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory (built the same year as the Waterworks).

In addition to having an eye-catching facade, the function that the building served was even more significant to the city of Savannah. During the turn of the 20th century, “one of the greatest challenges for the growth of the American city . . . was to supply populations with a clean and dependable water supply.”18 As Savannah grew during the late 19th century, much like other American cities during this time, there was an increased need for fresh water to supply industries and a growing population. This surge in population put a strain on the previous waterworks that existed on the Savannah river. In 1890, the mayor of Savannah voiced his concerns for the old waterworks, stating that the machinery was “being forced beyond its legitimate capacity, and cannot reasonably be expected to keep in repair, or to last as long as if it were not so overloaded.”19 The new waterworks pumping station contained mechanics that were state-of-theart for their time, and the building was built at such a large scale to be able to accommodate more equipment as the city and its need for water grew.20 After the construction of the new waterworks, the mayor stated that it “has been very satisfactory and that the outlook for the future is exceedingly encouraging.”21 The building itself was a symbol of pride for the city, and the news-

18

Kelley David, Building Savannah, (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000), 121.

19 Annual

Report of John J. McDonough. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1890.

20

Spracher, Luciana. City of Savannah Water Works Pump House. Savannah, 2005.

21

Ibid.

Allen 7 paper called it “quite a handsome and imposing structure.”22 A 1900 Postcardshows the new building with landscaped gardens surrounding it. 23 [see image 5] At first, operations ran smoothy at the new waterworks building. However, in 1908, the output of water from the new pumping station had to be supplemented with the rehabilitation of the old pumps at the pumping station located on the Savannah River.24 By 1916, the water supply became contaminated again due to leaky casings at the River Station’s artesian wells and chlorine had to be put into the water supply. Between the years of 1918 and 1921, seven different electrically driven centrifugal pumps had to be installed in different parts of Savannah. The 1916 Sanborn maps show the new pipes and pumps that had been installed near the building at this point.25 [see image 6] After large pumps were installed at Daffin Park and the corner of Stiles Avenue and Louisville Road, the Waterworks building on Gwinnett Street was shut down and was “held in reserve for emergency” with “engineers and firemen . . . on duty in the event it is necessary to operate the plant.”26 By 1940, the Gwinnett Street waterworks station closed permanently and has since been used as a storage facility for the city of Savannah. 27 Ultimately, the original purpose of the Waterworks building didn’t stand the test of time and it currently “stands

22

Savannah Morning News, "To Turn on the Water," November 21, 1892.

23

Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia, GHS Postcard Collection 1361 PC, “Savannah City Waterworks,” MS 1361-PC, City Waterwork.

24

Valentino, John G. History of Savannah Water Department 1822 to 1923. Savannah.

25

“Savannah 1916.” Sanborn Map.

26

Ibid.

27

Gomez, Marisa C., and E. G. Daves Rossell. "Greater Savannah Tour No 1 African American and Coastal Communities." In Vernacular Architecture Forum 2007 : Savannah and the Lowcountry : Field guide for the 28th annual meeting. Savannah: Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2007. 416.

Allen 8 as an ironic monument to what was only a very brief cure to the city’s insatiable desire for fresh water.�28 A site visit to the Waterworks gave further insight into the current state of the building.

Trash cans, tires, and utility vehicles in and around the building indicated that the waterworks was still being used for storage. Most remaining windows were boarded up, bricked in, or broken. The intricate terra cotta work was in fairly decent shape, although several of the cattail terra cotta tiles above the windows were falling off and being held in place by wood or steel beams. [see image 7] Marks on the exterior walls and burned wood showed that smaller structures attached to the rear of the brick building had burned down. The tall smokestack had been cut down to reduce its size. [see image 8] Plants and shrubbery had begun to grow out of cracks in the exterior walls, and bricks around the largest arch had begun to crumble and fall. The large romanesque tower was no longer accessible due to a collapsed ceiling and stairwell. The interiors of the warehouse buildings were elaborate as well: the larger warehouse building contained a terra cotta frieze of dragons and foliage, identical cattail terra cotta tiles above windows, and the walls were whitewashed from the frieze down. [see image 9] The tin roof had several holes, and the trusses holding up the roof had begun to rust. The second warehouse building, although less ornate, still contained the machinery that would have opened and closed the roof for ventilation. The large space has in-tact details and a lot of potential, but rehabilitating the building would not be an easy or inexpensive process.

The neighborhood surrounding the waterworks today is known as Carver Heights. According to city-data.com, the residents in this neighborhood are almost exclusively African28

Gomez, Marisa C., and E. G. Daves Rossell. "Greater Savannah Tour No 1 African American and Coastal Communities." In Vernacular Architecture Forum 2007 : Savannah and the Lowcountry : Field guide for the 28th annual meeting. Savannah: Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2007. 416.

Allen 9 American. The medium household income in Carver Heights is $23,704, while the medium household income for all of Savannah is $36,760. More than half of the residents have not completed a high school education, and 31.3% of residents are living below the poverty level. 29 An article from the Savannah morning news describes one man’s optimism for the community. Elmer Howard, Sr was a proud owner of a humble shotgun house in the area. He, like many other poor, rural, African-American families, moved to the neighborhood in the first half of the 20th century in search of a job and a better life. 30 However, today, the area is still one of the poorest neighborhoods in Savannah. Historically, on the west side of Savannah, the neighborhoods were “lined with modest, one-story homes and bungalows constructed of the cheapest wood or cement block available. The houses sat atop cramped 30-foot lots.”31 The neighborhood contains a great deal of vernacular residential architecture, since “a haphazard ‘lay development’ unfolded as families added onto and repaired homes with the meager resources that lay at hand.”32 One street was examined more closely in order to give a snapshot of the social and demographic makeup of the neighborhood surrounding the Waterworks building. Springfield Street, connected to Stiles Avenue one block south of the Waterworks, is a small residential street of 21 homes that dead-ends at Springfield Canal. The street is not in shown in the 1898 Sanborn maps 33, but it is shown in the 1916 Sanborn maps34. [see image 10] This indicates that this street was developed between these years, in the decades following the construction of the waterworks.

29Urban

Mapping Inc.. "Carver Heights neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia (GA), 31415 detailed profile."

30

Savannah Now, "West Bay Street Corridor: Hope sprouts in crumbling streets," December 15, 2005.

31

Ibid.

32

Ibid.

33

“Savannah 1898.” Sanborn Map.

34

“Savannah 1916.” Sanborn Map.

Allen 10 The street was historically named West Waldburg, although it never connected to the portion of Waldburg Street east of the canal. Cadastral surveys from 1939 show that all of the occupants on this street were “colored” and more than half of the houses were in fair, poor, or bad condition.35 [see images 11 and 12]The city directory from 1919 also indicates that everyone living on this street during that time was colored and provided names of the people who lived at the addresses.36 1920 Census records from these names showed what kind of economic condition the families were in. Amanda Riggins of 1118 W Waldburg [see image 13] lived in her home by herself and worked as a servant. Thomas and Estell Brown lived at 1135 W Waldburg [see image 14] along with 5 other people: their children, Estelle’s parents, and her brother. All of the men in the household worked as “laborers” at a Saw Mill. Susan Lee, who lived next door at 1137 W Waldburg, [see image 15]lived with her niece and two boarders who worked as steamship laborers.37 This small snapshot of the lives of these few are a good indicator of the way people lived in the neighborhoods surrounding the waterworks. Most of them were poor, working class people who primarily worked for the industries in Savannah’s West Side or commuted into the city for domestic work.

The Savannah Waterworks building is significant because of its construction, architectural style, and the historic impact it had on the immediate neighborhood as well as Savannah as a whole. The structure didn’t last as a successful waterworks for very long and has been used as a storage facility for a longer duration than its use as a waterworks. However, this chapter in the

35

Chatham County Courthouse Records Room, Savannah, Georgia, Cadastral Survey, s.v. "Lots 3-30 Gamble Ward."

36

Live Oak Public Library, Savannah, Georgia, City Directory, City of Savannah, Georgia, 1919, s.v. “1116-1143 W Waldburg St.” 37

Federal Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census: City of Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, 1920.

Allen 11 building’s history and in Savannah’s history should not be disregarded as unimportant. The water system had a direct impact on how much the city of Savannah could grow and develop, and the Waterworks building, although in use for a short time, would have helped in the growth and development of the city. After being used as a storage facility for over 70 years, the building is showing signs of deterioration which will continue to worsen until measures are taken to protect or rehabilitate it. It is possible that the Waterworks’ industrial setting and the economic makeup of the surrounding neighborhoods have prevented any adaptive reuse opportunities to this point.

If any ambitious developers should plan to adaptively reuse the building in the future, hopefully they will consider the buildings’ integration into the low-income neighborhood around it, develop a plan that will enhance the quality of life of the people who live there, while simultaneously preserving the integrity of the historic waterworks building.

Allen 12

Index of images

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Allen 13

Image 4

Image 5

Image 6

Allen 14

Image 7

Image 2

Image 8

Image 9

Allen 15

Image 10

Image 7

Image 9

Image 11

Image 9 Image 10

Image 12

Allen 16

Image 12 Image 12

Image 13

Image 14 Image 12

Image 14

Image 14 Image 13

Image 15

Allen 17 Bibliography Primary Sources: Chatham County Courthouse Records Room. Savannah, Georgia.

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 3 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 9-10-11 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 12-13 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 14 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 15 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 17 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 19 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 20 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 22-23-24 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 25 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 26 Gamble Ward.”

Cadastral Survey. s.v. “Lot 29-30 Gamble Ward.”

City of Savannah Research Library and Municipal Archives. Savannah, Georgia Minutes of Council 1890-1891 Minutes of Council 1891-1893 Georgia Historical Society. Savannah, Georgia.

GHS Postcard Collection 1361 PC. “Savannah City Waterworks,” MS 1361-PC, City Waterwork.

“Savannah 1898.” Sanborn Map. “Savannah 1916.” Sanborn Map. Vertical File “Public Buildings - Savannah Waterworks.”

Annual Report of John J. McDonough. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1891.

Annual Report of John Schwartz. Savannah: The Morning News Print, 1890.

Savannah Morning News, "To Turn on the Water," November 21, 1892 Live Oak Public Library, Savannah, Georgia.

City Directory, City of Savannah, Georgia, 1919, s.v. “1116-1143 W Waldburg St.” Federal Census Bureau. 1920 United States Federal Census: City of Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, 1920. (accessed February 8, 2014.)

Allen 18 Secondary Sources: Fraser, Walter J. Savannah in the Old South. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 2003.

Gomez, Marisa C., and E. G. Daves Rossell. "Greater Savannah Tour No 1 African American and Coastal Communities." In Vernacular Architecture Forum 2007 : Savannah and the Lowcountry : Field guide for the 28th annual meeting. Savannah: Vernacular Architecture Forum, 2007.

John Linley, The Georgia Catalog - Historic American Buildings Survey, (Athens, GA: The Uni versity of Georgia Press, 1982), 200.

Kelley David, Building Savannah, Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Lee, F. D., and J. L. Agnew. Historical record of the city of Savannah. Savannah: J.H. Estill, 1869.

Morgan, H. Wayne. The gilded age, a reappraisal.. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press, 1963.

Savannah Now, "West Bay Street Corridor: Hope sprouts in crumbling streets," December 15, 2005.

Spracher, Luciana. City of Savannah Water Works Pump House. Savannah, 2005 .

Urban Mapping Inc.. "Carver Heights neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia (GA), 31415 detailed profile." (accessed February 4, 2014.)

Valentino, John G. History of Savannah Water Department 1822 to 1923. Savannah, 1923.

Virginia and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984.