History of Architecture
Dr. Karl Schuler, professor of Architectural History at SCAD, delivered a public talk — “The Urban Legacy of the Volunteer Militias in Savannah’s Bull Street Corridor” — at City Hall. It was part of the City’s “Hungry for History” series organized by City of Savannah archivist Luciana Spracher. The talk was recorded and can be viewed online.
Architectural History graduate students Lois Watts, Elizabeth Clappin and Penny Johnson led a total of eleven walking tours as part of the Reading the City public programs. Their tours including a general tour that was repeated several times and thematic tours that highlighted the city’s militia heritage along Bull Street, post-war modernism downtown, and African-American architectural heritage in the Cuyler-Brownville neighbourhood.
Dr. Richard Longstreth, Director of Historic Preservation and Professor of American Civilization at George Washington University, delivered the keynote lecture in the closing evening program on May 11 of the Reading the City lecture series — addressing the theme “Savannah: Urban Identity and Threatened Heritage”. His lecture addressed the importance of post-war modernism to Savannah’s architectural identity and the challenges it has faced in terms of its preservation. He was followed by Vaughnette Goode-Walker, curator at the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum in Savannah, who spoke about the city’s rich heritage of African American architecture and neighbourhoods and the struggles for its preservation. Their presentations were followed by a panel discussion, where they were joined by two Savannah-area preservationists — Daniel Carey, President and CEO of the Historic Savannah Foundation, and Justin Gunther, Professor of Historic Preservation at SCAD and a member of the city’s Historic District Board of Review. Robin Williams served as moderator. To view the video, click here.
