Driving south along Abercorn Street is something akin to a midcentury history lesson. Abercorn Park (1949) on 60th Street east of Abercorn features over thirty houses. Lamara Heights (1949) between Habersham and Reynolds extending from 60th to 65th streets established a trend of larger lot sizes with deeper setbacks and the absence of sidewalks, making ideal settings for the new sprawling ranch house. Abercorn Heights (1950), Brookwood (1950), and Manor Estates (1950) continued this pattern south to DeRenne Avenue, which became the official southern limit of Savannah in 1950. The plans for all of these subdivisions were designed and executed by the Savannah firm of Thomas and Hutton, Engineers.
South of DeRenne Avenue between Abercorn Street and Skidaway Road, four upscale subdivisions—Fairway Oaks (1950), Groveland (1950), Kensington Park (1951), and Magnolia Park (1953)—represent the most cohesive set of midcentury suburban ideals in Savannah. Unlike pockets of modern infill, this swath of development broke from traditional Savannah planning and followed the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) guidelines that prescribed curvilinear street plans, culs-de-sac, irregularly shaped lots, and isolation from major thorough-fares. House types include the American Small House, as well as split-level and ranch houses reflecting Colonial Revival and southwestern or California contemporary styles. In 2012, the Fairway Oaks-Greenview Historic District became the first mid-twentieth-century suburban residential district in Georgia to be added to the National Register of Historic Places.
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