Chatham Square (Savannah, Georgia)

Chatham Square
Chatham Square, viewed from its southwestern corner
NamesakeWilliam Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Maintained byCity of Savannah
LocationSavannah, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates32°04′19″N 81°05′49″W / 32.0720°N 81.0970°W / 32.0720; -81.0970
NorthBarnard Street
EastWest Wayne Street
SouthBarnard Street
WestWest Wayne Street
Construction
Completion1847 (177 years ago) (1847)

Chatham Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on Barnard Street and West Wayne Street, and was laid out in 1847. It is south of Pulaski Square and west of Monterey Square in the southwestern corner of the city's grid of squares. The square is named for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham. Although Pitt never visited Savannah, he was an early supporter of the Georgia colony, and both Chatham Square and Chatham County are named in his honor.[1] The oldest building on the square is the Enoch Hendry Row House, at 108–112 West Taylor Street, which dates to 1851.[2]

Chatham Square is sometimes known locally as Barnard Square, in reference to the 1901-built Barnard Street School (which actually stands at 212 West Taylor Street)[2][3] and has served as a building for the Savannah College of Art and Design since 1988.[1] The college renamed it Pepe Hall.

The square contains a sundial dedicated to African-American politician Louis Burke Toomer in 1964.[4][5]

  1. ^ a b Chatham Square – Savannah.com
  2. ^ a b Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 62
  3. ^ Edward Chan Sieg (1984). The squares: an introduction to Savannah. Virginia Beach: Donning.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference gs was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Historical Marker Dedication: Louis B. Toomer, Founder of Carver State Bank – Georgia Historical Society