Let’s make it a good one Savannah! This view, at the very west end terminus of Broughton Street at Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. (formally West Broad Street) is a temporary one because while the Firestone folks seem to be a successful business, it is very likely that they will eventually sell out. Like the attitude of so many corporate entities in America (and the world), and a few smart people I know, it is all about the real estate. And what a gold mine this site has become. With a current fair market value (there is nothing fair about it - this is Chatham County’s assessed value) of almost three million dollars, more than double the values in 2005 and 2006, this has become a very, very important location. But it should be! Just think about it. When that property is sold and a new building goes vertical, it is going to be in such a commanding position on the street. It will make a big difference to the feeling of that whole end of Broughton. It really needs to be a well designed building because we have had too many mediocre in-fill properties these past few years and in this location, whatever is built will certainly be impossible to miss. It will not only make a statement about itself and the architect that designs it, but about what Savannah is, can be, and should be. To me this site is as important a location as the Site of the old exchange building in Charleston at Broad and East Bay. Let’s make it a good one Savannah!

Curious about the history of this Savannah site? Check out this page from the Sanborn Fire Maps, this particular map is circa 1916. The building on this site in 1916 is a Livery and it is at the very lower right hand corner. Look a little higher on the map and you can see the Scarborough House (now the Ships of the Sea Museum) labled The West Broad St. School.

There are actually five Savannah maps, 1884, 1888, 1898, 1916, & 1922, and they are ALL on line and fairly easy to navigate once you get used to it. So as a matter of interest I went all the way back to the earliest map available, 1884, and I found that the current Firestone site was labled as The Savannah Bank and Trust Cos’ South W. Ho. and Kelly’s Ware Ho. Interesting! - the building is in about the middle of the page. Play around with this web site as it is a wonderful way to envision the past. Now let’s envision the future!

Until Next Week,

Ron Melander