Johnson Square (Savannah, Georgia)

Johnson Square

The Nathanael Greene Monument stands in the center of the square
Namesake	Robert Johnson
Maintained by	City of Savannah
Location	Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
Coordinates	32°04′48″N 81°05′29″W / 32.0799°N 81.0915°W / 32.0799; -81.0915
North	Bull Street
East	East St. Julian Street
South	Bull Street
West	West St. Julian Street
Construction
Completion	1733 (291 years ago) (1733)

Johnson Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in the northernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, it was the first of the squares to be laid out, in 1733, and remains the largest of the 22. It is east of Ellis Square, west of Reynolds Square and north of Wright Square. Situated on Bull Street and St. Julian Street, it is named for Robert Johnson, colonial governor of South Carolina and a friend of General James Oglethorpe.^[1][2] The oldest building on the square is the Ann Hamilton House, at 26 East Bryan Street, which dates to 1824.^[3]

Interred under his monument in the square is Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene, the namesake of nearby Greene Square. Greene died in 1786 and was buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. His son was buried beside him after drowning in the Savannah River in 1793. Following vandalism of the cemetery by occupying Union forces during the Civil War the location of Greene's burial was lost. After the remains were re-identified, Greene and his son were moved to Johnson Square. An obelisk in the center of the square now serves as a memorial to General Greene. The cornerstone of the monument was laid by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, in 1825. At that time the obelisk did not yet commemorate any specific individual or event. In fact, due to financial restrictions the unmarked obelisk served for several years as a joint monument to both Greene and Casimir Pulaski. Inscriptions honoring Greene were added in 1886, but the Greenes' physical remains did not arrive until 1901, following their "rediscovery."^[4][2][5]

Johnson Square contains two fountains, as well as a sundial.^[2]

Another landmark of Johnson Square is the Johnson Square Business Center. This building, formerly known as the Savannah Bank Building, was the city's first "skyscraper", built in 1911. Johnson Square is known as the financial district, or banking square, and many of the city's financial services companies are located here. These companies include the Savannah Bancorp, Savannah Bank, Coastal Bank Headquarters, Bank of America branch, SunTrust branch, TitleMax Corporate Headquarters, and a Regions Bank building. Christ Church Episcopal occupies the southeastern trust lot of the square at 28 Bull Street. Christ Church is "the Mother Church of Georgia", established in 1733. Early clergy of the church include John Wesley and George Whitefield.

The first flag of independence raised in the South was in Johnson Square on November 8, 1860.

The Pulaski House Hotel was in operation in the northwestern corner of the square between 1835 and 1948.^[6] It was torn down eight years later.^[7] Regions Bank stands in its place, as of 2023.^[8]

Screven House Hotel stood at the corner of Bull Street and Congress Street in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.^[6][9] It was demolished and replaced, in 1913, by the Savannah Hotel, which became the Manger Building.