Columbia Square

Since 1799, Columbia Ward and its square have kept much of their original appeal and surrounding environment. The name for both could have been in honor of the United States’ national female personification, Columbia or they were named in observance of the new National Capitals’ Federal District, Columbia (1791).

Ahhh… take a few seconds to relax to bird calls and fountain splashing.

Take a seat on one of the benches and have a moment to admire the Wormsloe Fountain. This fountain was placed in the square in the 1970s by the descendants of Noble Jones, the founder of Wormsloe Plantation.

Stop by where Savannah preservation began, the Isaiah Davenport house. Built in 1820 by Davenport himself, the home, now museum, was constructed as his family residence.

In 1955 the master builder’s home was threatened with demolition. The threat galvanized seven prominent Savannah women to raise the $22,500 needed to buy the house. Those seven women and this purchase laid the groundwork for today’s Historic Savannah Foundation.

Across the square from the home at 321 York St, you will find the Abraham Sheftall House. Also known as the offices of the Historic Savannah Foundation. The Sheftall house was built in 1818 around the Civic Center area before moving to its current location.

Just catty-corner to the Davenport your find a gorgeous example of one of Savannah’s Victorian period mansions, The Kehoe House. This Queen Anne style home is characterized by an asymmetrical design with projecting bay windows.

The home was designed by DeWitt Bruyn and built for William Kehoe, owner of the Kehoe Ironworks foundry. Therefore, Bruyn incorporated many iron architectural elements made at the foundry from the eves to the windows showcasing the variety of styles the foundry could produce.

420 East State Street, a.k.a. Laura’s House, was built in the 1700s and moved from Greene Ward. Laura’s House is so known because of Miss Laura Jones a prominent member of Second African Baptist Church. Even though she occupied the home between the 1930s -1960s while it was in Greene Ward, the nickname stuck through the relocation.

Learn more about Columbia Square and its historic significance when you book your stay with us.