The city James Oglethorpe carved out of the wilderness in 1733 for his small band of colonists was nothing short of revolutionary. It was a planned city – a geometric patchwork of identical divisions called wards. Each ward was situated around a central green space – the spaces which today we refer to as squares. The squares served as public spaces – assembly areas, markets, military drilling fields, etc. Surrounding the squares were a series of lots of two specific types. Tything lots were lined up along the four corners of the square – ten on each corner, with an east-west lane bisecting each group of ten. These lots were set aside as home sites for ordinary colonists. On the east and west sides of the square, between the tything lots, were trust lots – two on each side. These larger spaces were set aside for public buildings – churches, courthouses, markets, government buildings, and stores. The squares served to unite neighbors and provide a sense of community, and the regular spacing of the structures around the squares lent a sense of order to the entire arrangement.
Oglethorpe's unique plan has provided a template for close to three centuries of growth, and served as the canvas for a 1.8-square-mile National Historic Landmark District that is home to more than 1,100 hundred historically significant structures. Today there are 22 historic squares in downtown Savannah, adorned with stately mansions, soaring church spires, magnificent monuments, and hundreds of historic homes. More than 12 million people visit Savannah each year to stroll through the squares and soak up the ambiance of the moss-draped live oaks and sun-dappled azalea bushes. Yet no one has produced a coffee table book about the squares since 1986 . . . until now.
SAVANNAH SQUARE by SQUARE is a book designed to feature all the city's squares . . . plus Colonial Park and Forsyth Park, considered to be extensions of the planned spaces. The narrative will provide an historical overview of the history and the photos will show the squares as we see them today.
Oglethorpe's unique plan has provided a template for close to three centuries of growth, and served as the canvas for a 1.8-square-mile National Historic Landmark District that is home to more than 1,100 hundred historically significant structures. Today there are 22 historic squares in downtown Savannah, adorned with stately mansions, soaring church spires, magnificent monuments, and hundreds of historic homes. More than 12 million people visit Savannah each year to stroll through the squares and soak up the ambiance of the moss-draped live oaks and sun-dappled azalea bushes. Yet no one has produced a coffee table book about the squares since 1986 . . . until now.
SAVANNAH SQUARE by SQUARE is a book designed to feature all the city's squares . . . plus Colonial Park and Forsyth Park, considered to be extensions of the planned spaces. The narrative will provide an historical overview of the history and the photos will show the squares as we see them today.
