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Whitefield Square

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1851; 1973 relandscaped, Cy Paumier

This site had been occupied since c. 1759 by an African American cemetery, which was moved when Whitefield Square—the final one created in downtown Savannah—was laid out and named to honor George Whitefield, second minister at Christ Church (2.4) and founder of Bethesda Home for Boys (19.4). From 1877 until 1946 streetcar tracks crossed here in line with Habersham Street; when they were removed the Office of City Engineer proposed a 32-foot-wide roadway that would have cut through the square (akin to the disruption of Franklin, Liberty, and Elbert squares along Montgomery Street in 1935–1937), which fortunately was not implemented. In 1973, the center of the square was relandscaped by Cy Paumier, followed in 1975 by the addition of a small octagonal gazebo, commissioned by Mills B. Lane Jr. and designed by John C. LeBey, now frequently used for weddings and other semiprivate gatherings.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Robin B. Williams with David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler
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Data

What's Nearby

First Congregational Church
Beth Eden Baptist Church
Madonna Hall
Jerry Lominack House
Massie Heritage Center (Massie Common School)

Citation

Robin B. Williams with David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler, "Whitefield Square", [Savannah, Georgia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/GA-02-8.27.

Print Source

Buildings of Savannah, Robin B. Williams. With David Gobel, Patrick Haughey, Daves Rossell, and Karl Schuler. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2016, 155-155.

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