Savannah Past and Present

PAST AND PRESENT A REPHOTOGRAPHIC SURVEY BY BAILEY DAVIDSON

SPECIAL THANKS TO: Martha L. Keber

The National Park Service

Wayne Holland

Fort Pulaski National Monument

The Georgia Historical Society

Thomas and Mary Elizabeth Davidson

The Historic Savannah Foundation

George Walker and Tybee Post #154

The Savannah Film Commission

Jefferson Kirkland

The Coastal Heritage Society

The Hilton Savannah DeSoto

Old Fort Jackson

The Telfair Academy of Arts

The Georgia Archives

The Pirates’ House

The Tybee Island Historical Society

Billy Mullins

… and most of all, my loving wife Larissa Thut Davidson, to whom this book is dedicated.

ISBN-10 0-615-53000-1 ISBN-13 978-0-615-53000-0 Library of Congress Control Number: 2011915408

Published by

Bailey Davidson Photography LLC 346 Lincoln Street | Savannah, Georgia 31401 www.BaileyDavidsonPhotography.com All present-day photography by Bailey Davidson Design & Layout by Larissa Thut Davidson Copyright ©2011 by Bailey Davidson Photography LLC All rights reserved.

Printed in Canada

CONTENTS

Foreword by Martha L. Keber

Page 5

CHAPTER ONE: Downtown

Page 7

CHAPTER TWO: Beyond Downtown

Page 123

Words from the Author

Page 155

About Bailey Davidson

Page 157

Bibliography & References

Page 159

Historic Image Credits

Page 160

3

FOREWORD

Few photographs are more evocative than those of our parents as children. It is startling to see the individuals who defined adulthood for us to be captured at a tender age, frozen in time. Inevitably we see in this child’s face the future adult; we read into that image the events to come.

Bailey Davidson gives us an opportunity to see Savannah in much the same way. He juxtaposes archival photographs of Savannah buildings with a contemporary image, painstakingly replicating the vantage point of the early photograph with his own camera. Some structures depicted in historic photographs are immediately recognizable, with few changes to the façade or architectural style.

Other buildings, disguised by a modern storefront or extensive modifications, have lost their original identity or have disappeared altogether.

Nineteenth century Savannah was known for its thriving waterfront and commercial district, its fine homes and its inspiring churches. The prosperity born of the cotton and rice trade in the antebellum era created many of the city’s landmarks and, with the economic revival of the 1870s and 1880s, other substantial buildings, such as the Hotel DeSoto, were erected. However, all of the city’s structures, large or small, were vulnerable to disasters in the form of fires and hurricanes. The great fires of 1796 and 1820 burned large swaths of Savannah and transformed it from a city of wood to one of brick.

Devastating hurricanes, such as those of 1824 and 1893, left damaged or destroyed buildings in their wake. Cataclysmic change left its mark as the city rebuilt in a manner dictated by contemporary design standards, not necessarily the architectural styles of an earlier age.

By the 1920s, Savannah slipped into slow decline as the boll weevil spelled the end of Georgia’s cotton crops and Savannah’s significance as a cotton port. The historic core of Savannah stood neglected and unappreciated for decades.

Architectural treasures were sometimes torn down solely for the value of the bricks or, as in the case of City Market, to transform the site into a parking garage. This steady deterioration continued until the historic preservation movement took hold in Savannah in the 1950s, as organizations and individual homeowners worked to restore the city’s architectural heritage. These efforts have been nationally recognized with the creation of the Landmark Historic District in downtown Savannah in 1966.

In this beautifully crafted work, Bailey Davidson invites us to savor the existing Savannah and to lift the veil of time to reveal the city’s vibrant past.

Martha L. Keber Professor Emerita of History Georgia College & State University

5

CHAPTER ONE

DOWNTOWN

7

Corner of Jefferson Street and Bay Street Looking north

8

220 West Bay Street

9

116–118 West Bay Street

10

12–20 West Bay Street

11

534 West River Street

12

Power Plant West River Street

13

West River Street Looking west

14

West River Street Looking east

15

East River Street corner of Lincoln Street

16

668 Indian Street

17

CHAPTER TWO

BEYOND DOWNTOWN

123

Sears Building 2 East Henry Street

124

632 East Broad Street

125

2401 Bull Street

126

Starland 2425 Bull Street

127

WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR

Home is where the heart is, and my heart is in Savannah.

When I’m away, no matter how great the place I visit, I am always happy to come home. That’s how I know that I belong here. Since moving to Savannah in 1999 from New York City, it seems as though each day has offered a new discovery.

From the Historic District to the beaches of Tybee the city is a virtual living history museum.

I will admit, after living and breathing the fast pace of Manhattan, I found the idea of returning to the South a bit discouraging. I had grown up in the South — gone to college in the South. I thought the rest of my life would be spent…I don’t know… somewhere other than the South. I had this idea that no place could ever be as progressive and cultural as New York City. I could not have been more wrong.

Like a good brandy, the first sip of Savannah was a bit much. It made me make a funny face. I didn’t know what to make of it. However, by the third sip I had fallen head over heels with the southern belle. Charming, enticing, sultry, mysterious, and most of all beautiful, Savannah is a lady that no mortal can resist. It is its own entity of the South.

Resting on the coast of the Peach State with a mindset and attitude of no other Georgian city, Savannah is a melting pot of cultures, religions, ethnicities, and art. Its beauty combined with a loving tolerance for a good time makes Savannah an oasis that can whet any appetite.

From the farmlands of Indiana to Vermont, from New York to Key West, rephotographic photography has been a fascination of mine for many years. The practice of rephotographic

surveys has been around almost as long as photography itself. It is the process of making a current day image from the same point of view as the old in order to better understand the passage of time — a visual time machine.

Savannah Past and Present is my second published collection of rephotographic images.

Milledgeville Then and Now, the first, was published in 2008. It was a tribute to the town that had nurtured me during my childhood and formative years.

Although this book is not the first rephotographic survey of Savannah, I feel that it is a true representation of the concept. Standing in the same spot as the previous photographer offers an honest “compare and contrast” effect. Shooting was done usually in winter to avoid the visual obstruction of foliage. As you can see, even on the cloudiest days, Savannah’s beauty is undeniable.

It is my hope that Savannah Past and Present will give locals and visitors alike a better understanding of the place we all so love. Although Savannah has lost some of its historic structures in the name of progress, a considerable effort is now being made to protect and cherish what remains. In this book I offer a nod of respect to the historic figures and many preservation organizations that are instrumental in making this city what it is today.

An understanding of the Past is a better understanding of the Present.

155

ABOUT BAILEY DAVIDSON

Bailey Davidson is a native of historic Milledgeville, the antebellum capital of Georgia (1807-1868). He attended and graduated from Georgia Military College Prep School. In 1995 he received a BA in Theatre Performance from Georgia College and State University.

To enrich his theatre experience he attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York and also The Burt Reynolds Theatre in Tequesta, Florida as a resident actor. There he worked with such greats as Jose Quintero, Charles Nelson Reilly, Dom Deluise, and “The Bandit” himself, Burt Reynolds.

In 1997 Bailey returned to New York and studied at the famed Actors Studio and later was cast as a lead in a feature film. It was during this period in New York that he began to experiment in photography with a Minolta 7000, a gift from his mother. The city was a perfect setting for the photographer, and Bailey amassed a portfolio of thousands of images of people, places, and things that are New York City.

His interest in photography developed into a strong passion. This passion led him to the Savannah College of Art and Design where he received his MFA in Photography in 2002.

Today, after 12 years in Savannah, Bailey calls the city home. He is still active in the theatre, often volunteering in local productions. He continues to

audition and most recently was cast in the role of Hughes in the feature film Savannah directed by Annette Haywood Carter.

Davidson’s photography has been a labor of love for 20 years, and his images have been published internationally. As the owner of Bailey Davidson Photography, LLC, he provides commercial, editorial, and fine art photography for a wide variety of local and regional clients.

Bailey is very involved in the community as the Communications Director for the Downtown Neighborhood Association of Savannah, a member of the Savannah Film Commission, and a Rotarian with the Savannah East club. He is also an active member of the Historic Savannah Foundation and is a member of both the Georgia Historical Society and The Tybee Island Historical Society.

For more information and to review his many portfolios visit Bailey’s website at www.BaileyDavidsonPhotography.com

157

BIBLIOGRAPHY & RESOURCES

Adams, James Mack. Tybee Island. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2000. Print.

D’Alonzo, Mary Beth. Streetcars of Chatham County: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 1999. Print.

Davidson, Bailey, and Thomas L. Davidson. Milledgeville Then & Now. Savannah, GA: Bailey Davidson

Photography, 2008. Print.

Dick, Susan E., and Mandi Dale. Johnson. Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia

Historical Society. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2001. Print.

Georgia Historical Society. Web. <http://www.georgiahistory.com/>.

Gunther, Justin. Historic Signs of Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society.

Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004. Print.

Guss, John Walker. Fortresses of Savannah, Georgia. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2002. Print.

Guss, John Walker. Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemetery. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004. Print.

Kelley, David E. Building Savannah. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 2000. Print.

Pinkerton, Connie Capozzola., and Maureen Burke. The Savannah College of Art and Design: Restoration of an

Architectural Heritage. Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2004. Print.

Sanmann, Stefan, John Crowell, and Jeffrey Crowell. Savannah Then and Now. Savannah, GA:

Savannah House, 1997. Print.

Spracher, Luciana M. Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society.

Charleston, SC: Arcadia, 2002. Print.

“Vanishing Georgia Collection.” Georgia Archives: Vanishing Georgia Collection. Web. 01 Sept. 2011. <http://cdm.sos.state.ga.us/cdm4/vanishing.php>.

Wheeler, Frank T. The Savannah Races: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society.

Dover, NH: Arcadia Pub., 1998. Print.

Wilson, Aime Marie., and Mandi Dale. Johnson. Historic Bonaventure Cemetery: Photographs from the

Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Pub., 1998. Print.

159

HISTORIC IMAGE CREDITS

CHAPTER ONE: Downtown Page 8........... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-12-08 Page 9........... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-12-10 Page 10.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-12-06 Page 11........... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-06-07-05 Page 12.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-12-22-01 Page 13.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-27-01-5120 Page 14.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-12-21-05 Page 15.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-12-21-04 Page 16.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1374-02-09-01 Page 17.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-14-24-2983 Page 18.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-18-01 Page 19.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-12-07 Page 20......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-13-16-03 Page 21.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-12-11 Page 22......... Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, ctm218 Page 23......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1374-01-15-03 Page 24......... Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, ctm217 Page 25......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-05-03 Page 26......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-07-07-05 Page 27......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-180(442) Page 28......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-243(509) Page 29......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-11-03 Page 30......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-11-01 Page 31.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-28-21-5521 Page 32......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-16-05 Page 33......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-16-07 Page 34......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-20-07-4054 Page 35......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-08-18-03 Page 36......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-02-10 Page 37......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-13-01-01 Page 38......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-11-11-05 Page 39......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-06-11-15 Page 40........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-06-17-1224 Page 41.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-22-12 Page 42......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-13-17-15 Page 43......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-20-12 Page 44........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-21-01 Page 45......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-13-01-10 Page 46......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1516-Album p2-City Market Page 47......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 48......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 49......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-18-04 Page 50......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-08-19-06 Page 51.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-18-11 Page 52......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-19-06 Page 53......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-13-10 Page 54......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-10-05 Page 55......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-06-03-01 Page 56......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-27-02 Page 57......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-09-01-1700 Page 58......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-01-10 Page 59......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-03-01 Page 60........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-06-02 Page 61.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-07-02 Page 62......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-05-03 Page 63......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-05-04 Page 64......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 65......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 66......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 67......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-08-10-01 Page 68......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1374-01-18-04 Page 69......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-06-04-04 Page 70......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-08-17-02 Page 71.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-24-03 Page 72......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 994-07-129 Page 73......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-04-05-0620 Page 74......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-07-09(57) Page 75......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-173(435) Page 76......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-240 Page 77......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-236 Page 78......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-237 Page 79......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-05-23-05 Page 80........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-07-24-1421 Page 81.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-05-12-06 Page 82......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-06-05 Page 83......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-07-09-1280

160

Page 84......... Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, gly163 Page 85......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-04-23-0757 Page 86......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-24-02 Page 87......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-19-13 Page 88......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-19-12 Page 89......... Courtesy of the Coastal Heritage Society: Georgia State Railroad Museum, Operated by Coastal Heritage Society Page 90........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-20-12 Page 91.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PC-08-Transportation-UnionStation Page 92......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, History of Savannah Council No 1_pg45 Page 93......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-13-19-05 Page 94......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, folioF294_S2 A780_Part 9 pg 3 Page 95......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, Hodgson Hall 1876 Page 96......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-165(427)BW Page 97......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-22-03-4365 Page 98......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1276-06-48-Kayton res_Drayton St Page 99......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-10-04 Page 100....... Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, ctm135 Page 101........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-10-25-04 Page 102....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PC-07-Sav-Streetvies-Bull Street_01 Page 103....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-06-13-1192 Page 104....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-08-20-02 Page 105....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-06-14-1213 Page 106....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-22-26-4468, savannah GS headquarters 1935 Page 107....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-12-10-08 Page 108....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1363-VM-05-Drayton towers-Nov_31 Page 109....... Courtesy of Larry Smith Page 110........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-11-12-05 Page 111.......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-28-20-06 Page 112......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-16-05-07 Page 113......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-16-05-04 Page 114........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-12-01-01 Page 115......... Courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation Page 116........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361PH-19-23-3989 Page 117......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-229(491) Page 118........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1375-250 Page 119........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-19-15-3956 Page 120....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-09-01-08 Page 121......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1361-07-21-6058

CHAPTER TWO: Beyond Downtown Page 124....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-11-01-24 Page 125........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-03-06-01 Page 126....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-11-03-05 Page 127........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-11-04-02 Page 128....... Courtesy of the Coastal Heritage Society: Old Fort Jackson, Operated by Coastal Heritage Society Page 129....... Collection of Fort Pulaski National Monument.

Courtesy of the National Park Service Page 130....... Collection of Fort Pulaski National Monument.

Courtesy of the National Park Service Page 131......... Collection of Fort Pulaski National Monument.

Courtesy of the National Park Service Page 132........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-19-03 Page 133........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-04-19-04 Page 134....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 2168-02-Scrapbook_1-26870 Page 135........ Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, ctm020 Page 136....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-17-20-13 Page 137........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, GV1033Q37_1957_pg89 Page 138....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, folioF294_S2 A780_Part 3 pg 3_b Page 139....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, folioF294_S2 A780_Part 3 pg 3_a Page 140....... Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 141........ Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 142....... Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 143....... Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 144....... Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 145....... Courtesy of the Tybee Island Historical Society Page 146....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-18-11-12a Page 147........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-18-12-14 Page 148....... Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia Collection, ctm339-84 Page 149....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-18-15-01 Page 150....... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1374-01-32-05 Page 151......... Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-18-13-07 Page 152........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1374-01-32-09 Page 153........ Courtesy of Georgia Historical Society, 1360-18-08-1