By Eric Curl
Feb. 6, 2025 – Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) is condemning Ralston College’s sale last month of the Noble Hardee Mansion at 3 West Gordon St., asserting that the transaction violated a legally binding agreement.
The college failed to honor a 2022 easement on the property deed that grants HSF the first right of refusal before any sale of the historic property, according to a statement issued by the nonprofit on Wednesday to Savannah Agenda, in response to an inquiry made last week.
HSF also expressed concern over the property’s condition, stating that the 19th-century property on Monterey Square “urgently needs to be restored.”
“We are extremely concerned about the fact that Ralston College has not taken adequate steps to restore 3 West Gordon since purchasing the property three years ago and the fact that the future of this magnificent Italianate building — which is in desperate need of restoration — is currently uncertain,” HSF said in the statement.
Ralson issued a statement on Wednesday to Savannah Agenda stating that the college fulfilled the obligations of the covenant, originally implemented in 1967, by sharing with the Historic Savannah Foundation the terms and conditions of an offer for 3 West Gordon Street before closing the sale more than seven days later.
The building is now being restored by a world-class historic conservationist whose work includes conservation of the U.S. Capitol, the Guggenheim Museum, and the Brooklyn Bridge,” the statement said. “The College is delighted that the new owner will return this landmark building to active use and make Savannah an even more beautiful city.”
As previously reported, Ralston College sold the Noble Hardee Mansion, along with a Gothic Revival church on West Bolton Street late last month, described by a spokesperson as part of its strategic plan to expand its academic programs and public events. The college stated that the buyer is an “American investor with a passion for and depth of experience conserving historic properties.”
Public records show that the mansion was sold for $4.75 million to a New York-based corporate entity that shares an address and organizer with the Abdiel Capital investor firm in Manhattan. The same buyer acquired the church building for $1.65 million under a different LLC. The organizer of both corporations, an executive assistant with Abdiel, did not yet respond to requests on Jan. 30 and Feb. 5 for comment.
HSF President Sue Adler said HSF could not sign off for its first right of refusal on 3 W. Gordon St. because 115 W. Bolton St. was bundled in the offer, since HSF does not have an easement on the church property, according to a Savannah Morning News article published Wednesday.
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