By Eric Curl
July 19, 2026 – New history panels were recently installed along the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center redevelopment site, tracing nearly 300 years of history from Native stewardship and the founding of Savannah to the rise of Black Wall Street, the destruction caused by urban renewal and construction of the Civic Center. Prepared by Ethos Preservation for the Savannah Civic Legacy project, the exhibit also highlights the civil rights movement, the displacement of hundreds of primarily Black families and businesses, and the city’s current plans to demolish the arena, renovate the Johnny Mercer Theatre and restore portions of the Oglethorpe Plan. The content of the panels is posted below. After reading through the events, you can test your knowledge at Crossword Puzzle – July 19, 2026 – Savannah Agenda.
Pre-1733 to 1880
Before 1733
The land that later became Chatham County was originally inhabited by Native American peoples, including the Creek, Cherokee, Chickasaw and Yamasee. The Muscogee Creek, Yamasee, Cherokee, Shawnee and Catawba peoples recognize the area as part of their ancestral lands.
1733
Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe laid out Savannah’s town plan with tything, or residential, lots and trust, or civic and public, lots at its core. The Town Common surrounded the central settlement, followed by increasingly distant 5-acre garden lots, 45-acre farm lots, agricultural villages and military outposts.
May 1733
The Treaty of Savannah, described by the exhibit as Georgia’s first treaty between the British and Native Americans, marked Native Americans’ first land cession to Georgia’s colonial government.
1739
The Treaty of Coweta more clearly defined the land the British could settle and the territory that would remain Creek lands, reinforcing the Treaty of Savannah.
1790s
The Town Common began to be subdivided into lots for public sale. The exhibit attributes this action to Oglethorpe, although he died in 1785.
1801
Elbert Ward was laid out.
1815
Jackson Ward was laid out.
1818
The Archibald Bulloch House, an English Regency-style mansion designed by architect William Jay, was constructed on the southwest trust lot of Jackson Ward facing Orleans Square.
The east and west commons were also completely developed and Savannah began expanding into the south common.
1822
Wetter House was constructed on the northwest corner of Elbert Ward. Augustus Wetter, a local architect and businessman, expanded and remodeled it in 1857. The house was considered one of Savannah’s most elaborate residences because of its intricate ironwork.
The Central of Georgia Railroad
Beginning in the 1830s, railroads rapidly expanded across Georgia. By 1860, Georgia had more rail mileage than any other state in the Deep South.
The Central of Georgia Railway began constructing its Savannah-to-Macon line in 1836 to move cotton to the port. The railroad added more buildings and infrastructure in the 1920s as the system continued to thrive after the Civil War.
Throughout the late 19th and early 20th centuries, many railroad workers lived near the Central of Georgia rail complex, particularly in the western portion of Elbert Ward.
1844
Harper Fowlkes House, designed by Irish architect Charles B. Cluskey, was constructed on the southeast trust lot of Jackson Ward facing Orleans Square.
1859
The Weeping Time, one of the nation’s largest auctions of enslaved people, took place in Savannah. A total of 436 enslaved men, women and children, including a 2-week-old infant named Ballentine, were sold by Pierce Mease Butler to pay his debts.
The American Civil War, 1861-1865
The Civil War reshaped Georgia and Savannah, ending chattel slavery through the Confederacy’s defeat and the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
The war was fought between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. The morality and economics of slavery, along with the struggle to control the system, were at the heart of the conflict.
The Emancipation Proclamation took effect Jan. 1, 1863, declaring enslaved people in Confederate-controlled territory free. Slavery persisted in many areas, however, until news of the war’s end reached places such as Texas on June 19, 1865, now commemorated as Juneteenth.
Slavery was officially abolished nationwide with ratification of the 13th Amendment on Dec. 6, 1865, except as punishment for a crime.
Commerce and community in postwar Savannah
Savannah’s wealth had long depended on enslaved labor and related trade. The postwar period therefore brought major social and physical changes.
As segregation took hold, new commercial districts emerged. They included the Black business district known as Savannah’s Black Wall Street along West Broad Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, as well as a nearby cluster of Jewish immigrant-owned businesses.
1866
Streetcars began operating in Savannah.
1881 to 1945
Streetcars
Savannah’s streetcar system gradually expanded through Jackson Ward and across Orleans Square by 1888. Horse-drawn lines were operating along Whitaker and Bay streets by 1891.
The streetcars provided residents with a more convenient and affordable way to travel farther than horse-and-buggy transportation generally allowed.
1884
Elbert Ward and the eastern portion of Jackson Ward contained many wood-frame buildings, while northwestern Jackson Ward consisted mostly of brick structures.
Elbert Ward had five commercial buildings and 50 residences. Jackson Ward had seven commercial buildings and 50 residences.
1888
Both wards contained a mixture of wood-frame and brick buildings, as documented on a Sanborn fire insurance map.
Elbert Ward had 13 commercial buildings and 95 residences. Jackson Ward had 14 commercial buildings and 82 residences.
The diversity of building types reflected Savannah’s rapid late-19th-century growth as an expanding population and increased commerce intensified development across the city.
A horse-drawn streetcar line also bisected Orleans Square that year.
1890
The Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, now Savannah State University, was established and later relocated from Athens to Savannah in 1891.
The exhibit describes Savannah State as Georgia’s first public historically Black college or university and Savannah’s first institution of higher learning.
1900
Elbert Ward contained approximately 34 commercial buildings, 87 residences and one institutional building. Jackson Ward contained 21 commercial buildings and 92 residences.
Jackson Ward had become primarily a white working-class neighborhood with some German and Irish immigrants. Elbert Ward contained a mixture of white and Black working-class residents, with Black residents largely concentrated along West Broad, Montgomery and Jefferson streets.
The age of the automobile
Between 1910 and 1930, the rise of automobiles transformed city streets from shared spaces used by pedestrians, cyclists, horses, wagons and slow-moving streetcars into environments dominated by cars.
Streets were redesigned for faster vehicle traffic, new areas were set aside for parking and buildings were adapted with features such as drive-throughs to serve an automobile-centered lifestyle.
The highway
In 1915, Georgia had few paved streets and no paved highways, making muddy dirt roads a major obstacle as automobiles became popular.
Cyclists and the U.S. Postal Service had long advocated for paved routes, but automobile supporters secured state and federal funding for highway construction.
U.S. Highway 17, part of the early Dixie Highway, bisected Elbert Square in 1935. As tourism and automobile travel expanded, roadside motels, gas stations, parking lots and wider roads reshaped Savannah and cities throughout the 20th century.
1912
Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah founded Girl Scouts of the USA.
1914
The Archibald Bulloch House was demolished in preparation for construction of the Municipal Auditorium.
1916
The Municipal Auditorium was constructed on Orleans Square.
Elbert Ward contained 52 commercial buildings, 80 residences and two institutional buildings. Jackson Ward had 32 commercial buildings and 103 residences.
1917
The Savannah chapter of the NAACP was founded. The exhibit identifies it as the oldest NAACP chapter in Georgia.
The Great Depression
The Great Depression began with the 1929 stock-market crash and caused a severe decline in industrial production, massive unemployment and a near halt to construction until World War II revived the economy in 1941.
In Savannah, New Deal programs such as the Savannah Cadastral Survey provided jobs and economic relief. Although the programs supported many communities, including Black residents, deep inequalities and systemic racism persisted. Limited aid reached Savannah’s Black communities and racial tensions intensified.
1935
Zelda M. DesVerney became the first woman president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP.
Highway 17 was routed along Montgomery Street, bisecting Elbert, Liberty and Franklin squares to provide access to the Savannah River bridge.
1936
The Home Owners’ Loan Corp., a New Deal agency, surveyed Savannah but declined to rate Elbert and Jackson wards because they had too few homeowners, making federally backed mortgages unlikely there.
Through its residential security maps, the agency institutionalized redlining by marking Black and immigrant neighborhoods as high risk. That designation restricted credit and reinforced segregation and disinvestment.
White flight
After World War II, GI benefits enabled some veterans to buy homes with minimal down payments. Widespread automobile ownership also made suburban living more accessible.
Discriminatory practices restricted Black veterans’ access to new neighborhoods and housing benefits, leaving many Black families as renters. White families moved to the suburbs as homeowners in what became known as white flight.
As cities lost white residents, governments reduced investment in urban infrastructure while prioritizing road access for automobiles. Traditional commercial districts such as Broughton Street declined, with many stores following residents to the suburbs and downtown storefronts becoming vacant or boarded up.
1946 to 1972
Urban renewal
After World War II, federal and local governments sought to revitalize city centers in response to increasing suburbanization through programs described as urban renewal.
Urban-renewal funds were used to demolish areas labeled “slums,” which in many states were almost exclusively redlined African American neighborhoods.
Civil rights movement
During World War II, the NAACP expanded Black voter registration in Georgia. Although protests slowed during the 1950s because of white resistance, widespread demonstrations emerged across the state during the 1960s.
In Savannah, leaders including the Rev. Ralph Mark Gilbert, Virginia Jackson Kiah, Addie Byrd Byers and Wesley Wallace “W.W.” Law organized marches, sit-ins and boycotts.
The Municipal Auditorium, which was built in 1916 with segregated facilities, was desegregated along with Savannah’s other public facilities on Oct. 1, 1963, before passage of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964.
November 1946
The first joint meeting of the Black Baptist Missionary Convention and the white Baptist Convention took place in the Municipal Auditorium.
An Atlanta Journal headline described it as a “Demonstration of Races Working Together” that thrilled delegates from the two Savannah meetings.
1950
W.W. Law was elected president of the Savannah chapter of the NAACP. At age 27, he became the youngest NAACP branch president in the nation.
1950-1955
Wetter House, built in 1822 at West Broad and Liberty streets, was lost to accommodate a used-car parking lot. Its accessory building shell remained.
Although the house was demolished, its ornamental ironwork survives around the Savannah Cotton Exchange’s terra-cotta lion fountain and at other locations across the city.
1956-1967
The Federal Highway Administration Act was passed. Savannah’s Black Wall Street was devastated by eminent domain and demolition facilitated through urban-renewal projects.
A photograph in this portion of the exhibit identifies Myrtle Kendrick at her shoe shop on West Broad Street.
Early 1960s
One entry in this section is heavily obscured by glare and the fence. The legible portion states that City Council began considering replacement of the Municipal Auditorium.
Oct. 1, 1963
The Municipal Auditorium and Savannah’s other public facilities were desegregated.
January 1964
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Municipal Auditorium, praising Savannah as one of the South’s most desegregated cities because of the work of leaders including Gilbert and Law.
1965
The Downtowner Motor Inn formally opened at 201 W. Oglethorpe Ave.
The hotel exemplified mid-century America as the first car-friendly urban lodging brand and introduced downtown Savannah to automobile-oriented modernity ahead of later urban-renewal projects.
1966
The Savannah Historic Landmark District was recognized by the U.S. secretary of the interior as a National Historic Landmark.
The future Civic Center site was officially labeled a “slum” to qualify for federal urban-renewal funding.
1967
City Council approved a contract with Ben Ritzert and Vernon Nowell to design a combined convention center and auditorium.
1967-1969
The city approved its largest urban-renewal project to date.
Approximately 340 families and 130 businesses, primarily African American, were expected to be forcibly displaced. Historic Savannah Foundation and private donors moved selected buildings.
1969-1972
Construction of the Civic Center was underway and was completed in 1972.
1970
West Broad Street remained home to railroad-related offices and a large number of Black- and immigrant-owned businesses.
Morrison Hardware Co., an African American-owned business, closed and its building was demolished in the name of urban renewal.
1971
The Municipal Auditorium was demolished. One exhibit photograph shows its interior before demolition.
The first event held at the new Civic Center was the opening performance of the Savannah Symphony Orchestra’s 19th season.
1972
Acclaimed songwriter Johnny Mercer participated in the Civic Center’s grand opening.
1972 to 2026
Suburbanization and changing density
As streetcars and automobiles made travel easier, suburban living, once largely limited to the wealthy, became accessible to more people and reduced demand for housing in city centers.
African Americans’ access to suburban housing was often severely limited and generally constrained to lower-quality, segregated developments because of discriminatory policies and practices.
The shift contributed to widespread suburbanization, urban decline and lower building density in Savannah. The sharp decline in residential buildings in Elbert and Jackson wards reflected the broader trend.
1973
Elbert Ward had only eight commercial buildings and two institutional buildings, including the Savannah Civic Center arena and theater. That represented just 7% of its 1916 peak.
Jackson Ward retained 10 commercial buildings, 16 residences and one institutional building, the First Baptist Church educational building. Only about 20% of its 1916 building stock remained standing.
March 1978
City Council approved naming the Civic Center theater the Johnny Mercer Theatre to honor the Savannah native and recognize his substantial contributions to American music, arts and culture.
1982
The Citizens & Southern National Bank building on the west side of Montgomery Street was demolished, deepening the void in access to capital along Black Wall Street.
1984
The Flame of Freedom was moved from Elbert Square to the front of the Chatham County Courthouse on Montgomery Street.
July 1984
Howard Alls of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference successfully petitioned City Council to name the Civic Center arena in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1989
The German Memorial Fountain was installed in Orleans Square to honor early German immigrants who helped establish and grow the colony of Georgia.
A separate exhibit photograph identifies Hermina Washington, Brenda Andrews and Phyllis Young as members of the Civic Center’s janitorial staff posing in 1989.
1991
City Council unanimously approved an expansion of the Civic Center, citing the need for additional conference space and food-service facilities to retain small convention business.
1996
The Civic Center was expanded with a 9,000-square-foot addition containing six community rooms.
February 2001
Economic Research Associates completed a draft site analysis for a new city arena.
2005
The Liberty Street Parking Garage opened in anticipation of replacing and redeveloping the Civic Center’s surface parking lots.
September 2013
After years of public discussion about declining use and continuing maintenance concerns at the Civic Center, City Council approved the Springfield Canal/City Lot location for a new arena on Savannah’s west side.
2014
The city created six advisory subcommittees made up of community members and staff to support the early stages of the arena project, including evaluation of the Civic Center’s future.
2018
The Urban Land Institute released a report about redeveloping the Savannah Civic Center. It concluded that the building and its limited parking no longer made the property a suitable location for the city’s primary arena.
2019
The Otis S. Johnson Cultural Arts Center was completed on the northwest corner of Elbert Ward.
February 2022
Enmarket Arena opened at 620 Stiles Ave. in the Canal District west of downtown.
June 2024
Savannah City Council adopted a resolution to demolish the Martin Luther King Jr. Arena while honoring King’s legacy, restoring the Johnny Mercer Theatre and restoring the Oglethorpe Plan where possible.
2025
Public input and planning for removal of the arena and restoration of the Oglethorpe Plan began in earnest.
December 2025
Savannah City Council officially renamed the Civic Center the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Civic Center.
2026
Demolition of the arena and restoration of the Oglethorpe Plan begin.
Source: City of Savannah
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